Sharjah24: Her Excellency Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA Women Advancement (NAMA), expressed her pride in supporting and safeguarding the indigenous crafts practices of the UAE, in line with the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and Founder and Chairperson of Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, to foster cultural learning and empower women through the medium of crafts.

BinKaram's comments came during the graduation ceremony of a new batch of 19 artisans under Irthi’s Artisan Skills Exchange Programme, held on Thursday, November 10, in Kalba. The graduation ceremony was held in the presence of officials from government entities from Kalba. 
 
In its second phase, the programme has equipped 19 women artisans with 25 intricate Pakistani embroidery techniques through 250-300 hours of training led by experts over 14 weeks.

Following the screening of a short film outlining the programme’s vision and mission, Her Excellency Reem BinKaram emphasised that it serves as a cultural bridge between the UAE and Pakistan and lauded the cooperation between Irthi and Rizwan Beyg, Pakistan's foremost and multi-award-winning fashion designer who led the programme.
 
` The NAMA Director said: "I would like to express my appreciation and pride in the commitment of every artisan to enrich their skills and use the power of education to transform their realities and forge a better future.”

For his part, Rizwan Beyg lauded Irthi's efforts in preserving indigenours crafts and ensuring  the long-term sustainability of the cultural heritage of the MENASEA region by equipping younger generations with the skills and knowledge to take it forward. 

The Pakistani designer said: "The vision of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi and her unwavering efforts to support women reflects her love for the UAE, Sharjah, Emirati citizens, and people of the world."

Beyg thanked NAMA and Irthi and its artisans for the opportunity to pass on his three decades of knowledge of a skill that is slowly going obsolete. 

On behalf of the graduates, artisan Muna Mirza Mohammed thanked Irthi for the unique opportunity provided to artisans to hone their skills and exchange knowledge and expertise with their counterparts, and thanked Beyg for leading the programme.

She said: "Irthi’s programme has enriched our creative capabilities and the new skills and techniques we have learnt is preparing us to compete in international markets and introduce our rich heritage and exquisite crafts to the rest of the world.”

Under the programme, a group of Pakistani craftswomen accompanying Beyg were introduced to traditional UAE crafts: Safafah (palm frond weaving) and Talli (handwoven braids). In the first phase comprising five weeks, skilled craft practitioners from Pakistan trained Irthi's artisans in the essentials of sewing, facilitated their skills in the use of unique embroidery tools, and enhanced their understanding of the basics of Aari and Needle embroidery. 

This was followed by a three-week advanced training where artisans incorporated Pakistani threadwork motifs and patterns into Irthi's Emirati Talli and Safeefah to explore synergies between the two cultures and crafts. During a six-week advanced training in the second phase, participants learned  20-30 new embroidery techniques including embellishing luxuriant motifs and designs with beads, stones, and gold and silver thread.