Editorial

THIS PUBLICATION HAS BEEN PRODUCED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. THE CONTENTS OF THIS PUBLICATION ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE RMSU AND CAN IN NO WAY BE TAKEN TO REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The old is fading away, the new is not yet in sight. Apprenticeship as a traditional practice is increasingly permeating vocational training. Whereas it used to be an established system of trainingemployment-production based on an often tacit contractual agreement, it became increasingly formalised and regulated by rules commanded by government authorities. It has also lost the traditional bond that linked an apprentice to his or her master. Today, apprenticeship is taught in technical schools and training centres in modules that complement theory and practice, sometimes referred to as internship, and qualication comes in the form of a certicate instead of a masterpiece. And now that industrialisation has come full circle, theories on how best to go about it abound, integrating to it learning and cognitive science theories. Where do our Mediterranean Partner countries stand vis--vis this revamped form of learning? Im afraid to say that the general picture is rather gloomy! The old system of apprenticeship is fading away rapidly and is not being supplanted by new forms of learning. Attempts to preserve traditional skills are few and far between and there are just a handful of eective examples to showcase. Just like other forms of cultural heritage, apprenticeship should become a major area of study and its development should be seriously considered, if only for the economic implications it could have within a community. Christiane Dabdoub Nasser Team Leader, Regional Monitoring and Support Unit (RMSU) FOOD FOR THOUGHT EUROMED HERITAGE 4 NEWS OUR FEATURE OF CHOICE A TALK WITH... A PERSPECTIVE ON CULTURAL HERITAGE BEST PICTURES MISCELLANEOUS 1 2 4 5 9 10 11

FEZ, MOROCCO - C. GRAZ

FOOD FOR THOUGHT When dry-stone walling gives you a chance to start over
bY JulIE ScOTT

Safeguarding heritage requires technical skills and knowledge of materials and processes, which traditionally have been acquired over long years of apprenticeship to a master, learning by practice, by experience, and by imitation, rather than from textbooks or in a classroom. The 21st century presents major challenges to this time-honoured way of skills transmission, as craft knowledge and practices whether of the master carpenter or the master puppeteer struggle to compete in a mass market, high-tech oriented global economy. There are also, however, cases where the reintroduction of apprenticeship schemes has provided a creative way of addressing problems both of local unemployment, and of the heritage industrys skills shortages. One such scheme was pioneered in the north-east of England, where traditional dry stone walls are a feature of the moorland landscape. Dry stone walling is a dying art, and, as the number of skilled professionals continues to decline, the structures themselves fall into disrepair and dereliction. The Northumbria Dry Stone Walling association entered into a partnership with Deerbolt Young Oenders Institute, where many of the young male oenders not only had never had a job themselves, but also came from communities where unemployment was the norm. Working with a professional stone waller, they were oered the opportunity to have taster workshop sessions in dry stone walling, with the chance for a small number to progress onto an apprenticeship scheme and obtain formal qualications. The scheme produced multiple benets: improved behaviour amongst the inmates; the revival of an important skill for safeguarding the traditional landscape; and the chance of a new start for some young men who had been let down by mainstream education and the conventional labour market I To nd out more about this and other English Heritage community apprenticeship projects, visit
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/people-and-places/community-projects/case-studies/north-east-dry-stone-walling-project/

RMSU Euromed Heritage 4 Programme rue dEgmont, 15 B-1000 Brussels t. +32 (0)2 609 55 50 - f. +32 (0)2 511 63 11 info@euromedheritage.net http://www.euromedheritage.net

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EUROMED HERITAGE 4 NEWS

REMEE, MARSEILLE, FRANCE - 2011

REMEE, MARSEILLE, FRANCE - 2011

MONTADA GHARDAA, ALGERIA - 2011

Do not replace the wooden doors! TANGIER - Why shouldnt we replace the wooden doors? An active programme of awareness of the protection of the cultural heritage of the Medina is on going in Tangier within the project Siwa & Tangier, funded by the European union as part of the Euromed Heritage 4 programme. This Journey into traditional architecture, which is addressed to 120 students in 6th grade in 5 public elementary schools in the medina, started in March and is lasting until the end of June. The course of a duration of approximately 20 hours for each school is designed as a way to improve awareness of the heritage embodied by traditional architecture and knowledge of the risks related to the loss of local heritage identity. The course allows children to understand dierent types of local Moroccan architecture through guided tours and explanatory sessions, in order to focus on a very important functional architectural element in Morocco: the wooden doors. The course emphasises the danger brought by the tendency, widespread in Tangier, to replace the traditional wooden doors with modern doors often made out of iron. besides the study of dierent types of wooden doors, students will be accompanied to interview residents of the medina and to develop awareness messages for the protection of the old doors. The messages will be used to produce communication tools for the project I
http://www.cospe.it/cospe/old/index.php

Mediterranean conference Rediscovering the memories of water in the Mediterranean. The initiative is supported by the European union within the framework of the Euromed Heritage 4 programme and the French region Provence-Alpes-cote dAzur. The conference which is taking place in Marseille - addresses various topics, from the history of water to the technical and legal means of safeguarding this heritage, to the need to educate and to raise awareness of young generations. The water heritage lls indirect functions like biodiversity maintenance, interest in the land, ght against erosion and oods all this and much more is debated at the REMEE conference I
www.remee.eu/

Rediscovering the memory of water in the Mediterranean MARSEIllE - In both rural and urban areas water heritage is under threat because of changing lifestyles. Since 2009, seven partners in Algeria, France, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey have worked through the REMEE project to safeguard this heritage. They have mobilised young people, civil society, local authorities and allowed the realisation of restoration sites, routes of discovery, inventory, video ... In this context, on June 16th and 17th, 2011, the Association for Regional Participation and Action (APARE) is organising the Euro-

Montada project, children making clay models of domes KAIROuAN - One of the cornerstones of the work of the Montada project is the active involvement of children and the education sector on the study, knowledge and dissemination of traditional heritage. To learn to recognise and to value the dome as the basis for traditional Islamic architecture, 20 children aged between 7 and 13 have participated on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 of April 2011 in a workshop of traditional architecture in Kairouan, Tunisia. In order to help people discover the most recognized skyline of the city, the activity - conducted by the Montada project under the European programme Euromed Heritage 4 has focused on the construction of 10 domes, although several other techniques were used, from drawings to paintings. During the workshops the kids (boys and girls) have made clay lower bracket/base and have built and painted their domes I
www.montada-forum.net/fr/montada/montada.htm

participation of the Mutual Heritage Project. For three days, casablancans were invited to look at their city in a dierent way and to (re)discover their extraordinary architectural heritage of the 20th century, through places rarely accessible. 130 heritage volunteers and mediator guides, trained for the occasion under the Mutual Heritage project (which is part of the Euromed Heritage 4 programme), have helped to discover the architectural treasures, too often unknown. April 15 was dedicated to school students of Grand casablanca, in an eort to raise awareness about the rich modern but vulnerable architectural heritage of casablanca, and about the need to combine eorts to save and protect it. During the event, the rst architectural guidebook of casablanca (Guide de larchitecture du 20me sicle de casablanca) was also presented. This guidebook traces the architectural history of the 20th century in casablanca - a veritable laboratory of modern architecture - and identies some of the most remarkable buildings I
www.mutualheritage.net

The hammam opens its hidden doors FEZ - Not only on the Southern shores, but across the Mediterranean, the hammam is a very special place, with its architectural features, its social importance, its intergenerational values, its high gender qualities that make it a heritage site which deserves the attention of the European as well as of the Islamic public. We can say that the hammam is part of the common identity of the Mediterranean countries. Since the times of the Roman bath-houses, this discreet building has accompanied the daily life of citizens across the region An exhibit Hammam, hidden doors, living treasures has given insight into the past, present and future of this very special place, with a focus on the present situation in Damascus, Fez and cairo. The exhibition which has taken place in Fez, Morocco, between March 22nd to April 10th, 2011 was designed as a contribution to the collective memory in the Mediterranean region on one hand, and as a participatory local

People from Casablanca have rediscovered their city cASAblANcA - There were 130 heritage volunteers ready to show the most remarkable buildings and the least known citys corners, which for the occasion opened their doors The 3rd edition of casablanca Heritage Days has taken take place from the 15th to 17th of April, under the auspices of unesco, with the

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MUTUAL HERITAGE, CASABLANCA, MOROCCO - 2011

HAMMAMED, FEZ, MOROCCO - 2011

HAMMAMED, FEZ, MOROCCO -2011

process on the other. The combination of museum objects, panoramic photos, video installations, documentary lms, architectural models and a participatory project - showing private hammam-related objects have succeeded in attracting even a young audience to the tangible and intangible qualities of the hammam I
www.hammamed.net/index.html

What do kids know about their cultural heritage ? AMMAN Traditional dance and music, pottery and mosaics, pictures and videos: Jordanian traditions have opened their doors in Amman for the second annual cultural heritage festival Tell Me About My country, organised at the Jordan Museum in Ras al-Ayn from March 29th to April 1st. An exhibition of cultural projects created by Jordanian youth from six governorates was on display, including videos, photography, and audio. The event has brought up demonstrations by artisans of their local crafts, such as traditional dance and music, shrak and taboun bread production, mosaics, sand bottles, pottery, and numerous other handicrafts. This festival was part of a larger project, Foundations for a Strong Future: youth in Jordan and lebanon promote cultural Heritage, that aims to instill pride in cultural heritage in Jordanian youth. With funding from the European union/Euromed Heritage Programme IV, the project is implemented by Mercy corps with its local partners The Jordan Museum and Princess basma Youth Resource center. The aim of the project is to support cultural heritage as one aspect of public wealth that should be collectively celebrated and protected, even by young people. The project wants to promote a message of ownership at the local level through a number of tools, among which public events. National museums and heritage sites in Jordan (and lebanon) are meant to become hubs for education, celebration of cultural heritage and knowledge dissemination I
http://www.asassat.com/

The Old City of Tyre through the eyes of the students bEIRuT Ten videos, a series of photos, illustrations of the Old city . The students of Tyre have re-discovered their Old city. The exhibit took place on March 21 st at the Palais UNESCO, during the celebrations for 50 years of French-speaking youth in lebanon. AlbA students from the neighborhood Zokak el blat joined the event with their works, and so did the Academic urban Observatory Majal with the presentation of the heritage route of the city of Tyre. This initiative was developed through the project Mare Nostrum, within the framework of Euromed Heritage 4. MARE NOSTRuM intends to contribute to the development and awareness of the heritage of historic port cities scattered along the Phoenician roads in the Mediterranean. The main result of the action involves the revitalization of targeted areas, which are transformed into places of life for local people through the reinforcement of synergies between the past and the present I
www.eh4-marenostrum.net

Montada, they do have fun ... . Algeria, operation green

casbah

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.198139806873389.45979.112851195402251

. This palm groove is ours and we clean it up!

http://www.montada-forum.net/montada-alg%C3%A9rie.htm-1

. Download, print and send cards about the traditional architecture of the Maghreb
http://www.montada-forum.net/montada.htm-0

The virtual Library of the Mediterranean has reached over 500,000 digital documents The http://data.manumed.org database is a collective library which aims at establishing a corpus of digital documents, free of copyright, resulting from libraries, archive, museums, and public or private collections relative to the Mediterranean countries. Today, the library developed within the framework of MANuMED project and nanced by the European union (Euromed Heritage 4) - oers direct access to more than 500,000 documents: manuscripts, old books, archives, photography, maps, etc These documents result from the co-operation with more than 70 libraries, archives and museums partners of Mediterranean area. The MANuMED II project intends to contribute to the preservation of the diversity of the written heritage (and its corollary, language) as an intangible heritage. A shared Virtual library of the Mediterranean, multi-lingual, multialphabetical, written and acoustic, is implemented within this project I
www.data.manumed.org

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OUR FEATURE
OF CHOICE
WOMEN USINg THE SPINDLE (MAgHzEL) TO WRAP AND TWIST NATURAL SILk YARNS IN THE vILLAgE Of DEIR MAMA, SYRIA

Local silk production in Syria is a family-business

bY

RASHA AROuS, SPEcIAlIST IN uRbAN PlANNING

Natural silk manufacturing is rooted in Syrian culture and is an integral component of Syrian intangible heritage. Master craftsmen handed down their skills to their descendants, and these are reected in their family names, which is very common in Al-Sham region - al Msaddi (the one who puts the warp threads in place), al-Qazzi (related to the silkworm- qaz)) are just two examples. Yet these names are no longer connected to the families current occupation, as the industry, still thriving 90 years ago, is in need of revival. It started to decline in the thirties of the last century due to major cut downs on the demand side of outer markets (lyon in France for example). The cut downs are attributed to the introduction of articial silk, competition of low cost working force of Far East natural silk, in addition to the nancial crises and the consequences of the industrial revolution. The introduction of western style clothing which replaced the traditional one made up of natural silk has contributed further to the decline of local silk production. Today, and because of its quasi disappearance, silk manufacturing is mostly considered as a cultural asset rather than a remunerating economic activity. Silk production was widespread throughout Greater Syria for centuries. Middle plains and coastal mountains oered natural conditions that had allowed silk cultivation. It still survives in some villages in the west of Syria, lebanon and Antioch as a cottage industry. Despite the deterioration of local cultivation of natural silk, Syria is renowned for silk textile production: seventy-three dierent traditional clothing items (mostly dependent on the imported natural silk) were reported in

Syria in addition to other non-clothing items. Evidently, two chains of producing natural silk fabric are available: the ones using imported natural silk, and the locally produced ones which are made with the laments of the locally cultivated cocoons and which are the focus of this piece of writing. The traditions and skills of the dierent stages of the locally produced natural silk are passed down to sons, daughters and to interested people through a nonformal and on-the-job form of apprenticeship. However, the specialised skills are becoming hard to nd among the younger generations and most practitioners do not want to give their knowledge out for many reasons. Were it not for the recent introduction of subsidies to cocoon cultivators from the Syrian council of Ministries, there would have been an even lesser number. Nonetheless, Apprenticeship should be part of an integrated solution of the xing of the broken industry: looking at the maladies rather than prescribing temporary remedies. by that, it will create the driving force for people to seek being apprentices by creating a demand side. It should comprise all current and development-related skills, such as breeding and producing silk eggs, which is a very delicate technique that requires knowledge, practice and patience; sericulture knowledge: creation of acclimatized spaces, equipment, etc.; reeling and nishing of yarns; and nally weaving. Additional skills should also be included such as: loom-building and toolmaking for men; designing and remodeling the nal fabrics through creative tailoring and nishing; dyeing and producing marketable samples; traditional cocoon pictures making for women. besides the agricultural and industrial activities related to silk manufacturing, there is another sort of division of labour by gender in the dierent stages of the production, which are all labour intensive. A recent study of the situation (2009) showed that mothers were 41%

involved in the cultivation; fathers contributed 35%, children 23% and grandparents 2%. This is very dierent from industries in urban and modern economies where there is a polarisation of men and womens work roles. A family of producers and a community-based industry involving many people from dierent backgrounds in an integrated way, have a tight link to socio-economic development of the villagers and contribute to the reconstruction of the society. Furthermore, its stages form a vital part of the lives of the people who gracefully deal with the souls and are so attached to them I Rasha Arous is a specialist in urban planning in developing countries; she studies the socio-economic condition of people living in walled cities and possibilities of participatory rehabilitation schemes with them. rasharous@hotmail.co.uk
References: . Atrash, Reem (1996), Silk in Syria, Alexandretta and lebanon. Damascus: Ministry of culture. . AlKateb, Maya (2010), Syrian Silk: Portrait of a living cultural Heritage. Damascus: Danish Institute in Damascus, Second Edition

MOHAMMAD SAOUD IN DEIR MAMA REELINg ON THE ARAb WHEEL TO gET THE NATURAL SILk YARN WITH HIS SON ALI HELPINg HIM, ALI IS THE fIfTH gENERATION TO LEARN THE SkILLS. PHOTOS bY: fRANzISkA LAUE

CONNECTING - ISSUE N8 - JUNE 2011

A TALK WITH Dr Samir Hazboun, Director of the Bethlehem chamber of commerce and industry de Bethlem

FEZ, MOROCCO - 2010

CAIRO, EGYPT - NABIL BAHGAR 2010

Lack of motivation and unfair competition threaten the handicrafts industry Historically, Palestinian arts and crafts production was very much integrated to forms of production of the eastern Mediterranean region but with a specicity of its own: the fact that Palestine is the Holy land has given local products an added value. Dr. Samir Hazboun, Director of the bethlehem chamber of commerce and Industry, is an economist and a researcher and he gives us a glimpse of how the local business of handicrafts is managed and what are its options for the future.
Could you give us a glimpse of the arts and crafts industry in Palestine? The arts and crafts industry has played a major role throughout the years in Palestine, and dierent areas are traditionally specialised in dierent crafts. For example Nablus is specialised in natural olive oil soap production, Hebron in glass production and bethlehem which is our area of interest is specialised in olive wood carvings, embroidery and mother of pearl production. How was the transmission of traditional skills secured throughout the generations? The traditional skills have been brought into the country during dierent time periods and situations, and these skills have been learnt by dierent people and it has stayed within their families for generations, however recently these transmissions are declining due to the lack of interest of the younger family members to continue in their ancestors footsteps, and who prefer to follow a dierent course. The reason for this lack of interest is that it has become more dicult to make a living by it, moreover machines have been replacing the handmade products and the cheap imports are destroying the reputation of the trade. In other words, there is a desperate need for rehabilitation in this area. People should be further educated on the importance of local crafts and training centres should be established in order to allow for the youth to participate in the continuality of this industry. Apprenticeship is one of the most signicant trends in vocational education: do you still have master craftsmen and do they have a formal role in the transmission? There are various individuals who are considered experts in specic elds, but they are becoming fewer and fewer; these experts can be motivated to participate in extended learning programmes to teach those interested. until now they have no formal role in the transmission as they are afraid to teach others and lose their own share of the industry, however with the appropriate incentives, they might be interested. The problem is that these incentives are mostly of a

CONNECTING - ISSUE N8 - JUNE 2011

pecuniary nature, and herein lays the problem. They might be made to feel pride in mastering these skills, which is very important, but it is not enough; it will take much more to get them to want to share their knowledge and engage in training courses. Do vocational/training schools secure apprenticeship in traditional arts and crafts? Is it formally recognised by the authorities? If not, are there eorts to secure this recognition? We have one crafts training centre, which is the Salesian Technical School, and which graduates students in olive wood and motherof-pearl carving, but it is hardly enough. There is still a high need for improving the curriculum and improving the quality of the training. And this is where the masters could play a role. Also, this type of formal training is not properly validated or valorised: there is no dierence between those who acquire a certicate and those who do not, as the skills taught in the school can be acquired through on-the-job training. And if we consider recognition of the certicates this requires a detailed study in the laws and regulations and special incentives are needed to be oered by the ministry of tourism/ ministry of labour to encourage the handicrafts centre and raise awareness about the value of handicrafts as part of our heritage. How important is traditional production within the local economy? The traditional production is very important as 80% of the local production is sold to pilgrims visiting the holy land and 20% is exported to foreign countries. However the local production is becoming threatened by cheap imports from other countries, mainly china but also other South Asian counties. We have no real gures concerning embroidery, which is mainly run as a cottage industry or managed by charitable society. It is another area of production which is typical to bethlehem and it is practised and managed by women. Therefore the development of embroidery could be a very important niche for employing women and empowering them. We need to promote the fact that local handicrafts are not just products but they are a form of local art which is typical of our area, and in this sense, not any other similar product can compete with it. The sentimental/religious/cultural value of this product should be put forward amongst the producers, but also amongst the buyers. So some proper marketing is required. What are the main problems facing the arts and crafts industry today? I believe I have mentioned the problems in my answers above however I will sum them up in a few points: . The lack of motivation for engaging in this form of production. . The lack of training centres. . The lack of motivation for experts in order to convince them to provide their expertise. . The unfair competition from countries such as china. . The need to educate locals and foreigners of the signicant importance of locally produced handicrafts and to consider them an art and not just another product I Interviewed by: Christiane Dabdoub Nasser

CAIRO, EGYPT - NABIL BAHGAR 2010

CONNECTING - ISSUE N8 - JUNE 2011

A TALK WITH Debora Angeli, Project Coordinator, COSPE.

CAIRO, EGYPT - NABIL BAHGAR 2010

FEZ, MAROC - 2010

Project Siwa-Tanger: cultural heritage for a better life The project aims to preserve and enhance the local cultural heritage in Morocco and Egypt within a sustainable development framework through participation, local ownership and knowledge dissemination. One of the main activities of the project is the empowerment of women through training in local arts and crafts.
What are the arts and crafts particular to the oasis of Siwa (Egypt) and the port city of Tangier (Morocco)? The oasis of Siwa has a long tradition in handicraft with particular reference to embroidery, silver, palm leaves products, ceramic. Embroidery and silver are very typical. The city of Tangier is known for the handicraft connected with textile and mosaic in ceramic. but it is particularly in Siwa that the project is experimenting with a work process which tries to link the empowerment of women with the improvement of handicraft production. Traditionally most handicraft production in Siwa involves mostly women, and nowadays maledominated traditional productions, such as silver, are kept alive by women. In the oasis men are more involved in tourism and agricultural activities and handicraft is more and more considered a low level economic activity and therefore left to women. We could speak of a second level economy, while at the same time it represents for women the only means to have an autonomous income. The project took in consideration this aspect as a departure step to implement an empowerment process for women in Siwa. What is the situation of their production at the moment? In your project, you are focusing on empowering women and improving their economic situation; how are you doing that? (...in terms relative to apprenticeship of course...). Through the project, we have found that all ancient knowledge, particularly pertaining to women, is at risk because of a growing massive tourism and of the introduction of so called globalised and fast products, which are more attractive to the young generation. For example, the production of embroidery in the past was connected with the celebration of marriages and girls learnt the techniques of embroidery from the old women of the family to produce their own wedding dresses. Nowadays less and less girls want to work years to make their wedding dresses and the circle of transmission of the knowledge is therefore at risk. At the same time massive tourism created a big demand for cheap embroidered products and the result is poor in design and quality. The embroidery products of Siwa, which can be considered an important aspect of its tradition and culture and constitute an important commercial potential are slowly turning into souvenirs sold only within the local market for tourists. This trend is impacting on women producers who, in order to secure a quick income, replicate the same models that are emptied of their original unique meaning. Instead of giving a positive thrust to the production of the traditional embroidery in crisis, the inux of tourists has damaged it. The project decided to invest in three sectors: embroidery, ceramic and silver. Women groups have been involved in a rst phase of training with the objective to improve their techniques and to create new designs and higher quality products, based on new

CONNECTING - ISSUE N8 - JUNE 2011

and old techniques. The trainers are all women artisans and artists living in Siwa. Only the training on silver is partially implemented in cairo. The training has in fact the objective to stimulate women to create new models and new designs without losing the old knowledge. The next step involves the management of the entire circle of the production and its marketing, which is the most dicult aspect. The women in Siwa have limited mobility and hardly meet people outside their own immediate surroundings; a married woman cannot even enter in a public space. It is for this reason that young siwi women have been involved from the beginning in the organization of this activity with the idea to create local female competencies in production, organization and network. The project promotes young women but also promotes the connection between young and old women who are considered an authority in siwi society. The project does not want to create gender conict but intends to work on new desires and the willingness of young women to work and to participate in the economic life and gain their independence, which is an important step recognized also by old women. Young siwi women perceive their future while maintaining a deep connection to the past, the heritage, the memory. What is their response to these eorts? About 50 women producers are participating in the training sessions with much interest and motivation. Each group of women elected a spokeswoman who will also be trained in networking and marketing and at the moment there is a small group of women who are undergoing this training and therefore feel increasingly confident to take the next and more difficult step, which is to negotiate with men for the management of the entire circle of production (to find raw materials for example) and marketing. Do you think that these eorts will bear economic fruits? We are working in this direction, of course, even if we are conscious that the situation of gender discrimination does not help. It is for this very reason that we implemented trainings with the double objective to increase the quality of the products and to reinforce at the same time women to become more independent in the management of production. The project considered also the results of the market study we implemented at the beginning of the project. This study indicated that tourists do not appreciate what is nowadays in the local shops. Many tourists would like to nd some good quality products and would prefer to pay more for a good quality product than to have simply a souvenir. For this reason the project is trying to create new and good quality products and to introduce them in the local market. In the next months, we will organise training and awarenessraising activities with local shopkeepers on this issue. We want to revitalise the handicraft production from an economic perspective but also from a cultural one so that the role of women in the protection and promotion of intangible heritage is recognised and gender discrimination reversed. What measures are you taking in order to ensure the sustainability of your actions? The sustainability of the action is assured at dierent levels. First of all, the project invested in supporting the groups of women as social groups who recognise the value of collective as a shared

space of autonomy. Secondly, this process permitted to create a small network of women living in Siwa who can support these groups; the trainers are part of this network. Thirdly, the higher quality of their products brings its dictates to the tourism market which asks for better quality products. There remains the big question of marketing and the capacity of women to become more independent in order to manage the market outside Siwa. At the moment this is not possible, but we are working with local associations to give more autonomy at least to the women who can better defend the interests of women producers. but it is clear that the key word for this work process is responsibility: responsibility of women producers to ask for more independence and start new processes of change in the community; the project for sure gave them the possibility to give more value to their knowledge, to be able to manage the entire cycle of production and to understand the importance of creativity and the need for responsibility and autonomy to achieve it I Interviewed by: Christiane Dabdoub Nasser

FEZ, MOROCCO - 2010

A PERSPECTIVE
ON CULTURAL HERITAGE

EXPOSITION PRODECOM, FIRENZE, ITALY

Learning to reclaim their own heritage: the experience of the PRODECOM project
The construction of a project on the promotion of Mediterranean traditional crafts has allowed craftsmen from the PRODEcOM network to reclaim their heritage and regain their pride in their work. The traveling exhibition Prints and colours of the Mediterranean has allowed them to rediscover their creativity and to see how their techniques and skills can be appealing. Today, they no longer have the same look on their own productions. Professions in crafts and art, in their artistic or utilitarian function, represent a valuable form of cultural expression as important to the North as to the South. The artifacts are aordable cultural properties. They are elegant, malleable, useful, transferable and economically aordable. They represent the popular facet of the genius of civilization and can represent a meeting vehicle between people. Handicrafts reect trade and cultural intermingling that characterize human societies, particularly in the Mediterranean. Yet, despite their undeniable contribution to the cultural vitality of the region, the Mediterranean craftsmen are facing severe problems related to trade globalization, competition and often to the devaluation of their skills. Mediterranean handicrafts are often reduced to their market value and to meet the needs of mass tourism and the market of souvenirs. This context has resulted in the devaluation of craft practices including by the producers themselves who, being in a survival dynamic, often forget the value of their expertise. The PRODEcOM project (Products, Development and communication), developed by the Mediterranean chamber of Fine Arts and its partners, and funded under the Euromed Heritage Programme II for the period 2002-2005, was designed on the principle that craft must be recognized as not only a pillar of the living heritage but also as an economically

viable and socially constructive identity marker for human communities. PRODEcOM was based on the observation that the know-how related to handicrafts is often rare and fragile and must be developed and supported. The transmission of knowledge and the need to preserve and promote the diversity of cultural expressions are indeed important challenges in these times of technological development and globalization. They can only be achieved by supporting creation, innovation and excellence, particularly through education, formal and informal professional, guidance and mechanisms of support. During the identication phase and project formulation, we identied a signicant number of recurrent problems faced by artisans, particularly in terms of the preservation of the know-how and techniques. Among them, the lack of adequate training of some artisans to tackle a market that has become international, resulting in a lack of renewal of the craft production, the isolation of many artisans from their customers and their expectations and disinterest of the younger generation to the profession of craftsman, occupy a prominent place. PRODEcOM decided to try to solve these problems through a dual approach: . Raising awareness, information and education among the public on the heritage values of the craft professions in the Mediterranean, and in particular of the exhibition Prints and colours of the Mediterranean; . Organizing seminars and training courses for the beneciaries of the project on the establishment of a label for handicrafts called culture Development Products . This label is the rst regional instrument of protection that eectively integrates the cultural dimension to economic and social dimensions of the craft. It aims to eectively protect the rights of the producers, to promote the nished product and guarantee the authenticity of this product among consumers. Its concept is based on the cultural value of handicrafts, social responsibility of their manufacturer, compliance with international conventions, the technical quality and authenticity of objects. The label culture Development Products

has oered to PRODEcOM the opportunity to design a coherent strategy for the training of artisans of the network: six sessions of regional seminars and technical training, organized in turn in Jordan, Turkey , Greece, Algeria, France and Morocco, have allowed artisans to learn rst how to value their own creations, to address issues of governance and place their work within the framework of international law on protection of intangible cultural heritage. The technical training has raised awareness of the contribution of the common cultural memory to the constant renewal of creative craftsmanship and quality products. The PRODEcOM training followed a participatory pedagogy that had as its main goal to cause an emulation and stimulate the motivation and the creativity of the artisans. The project succeeded in bringing together creators who own similar and complementary cultural identities and yet didnt know each others. At least 379 craftsmen and artisans in the 7 countries involved in the project have been directly associated with label issues and have therefore participated in the formulation of its award criteria. This number has increased through local initiatives, meetings inspired by our actions in the wake of PRODEcOM I Contact: Lila Skarveli , European Cultural Network for Development Cooperation reseau-culture-dev@bbox.fr

FORMATION PRODECOM, RABAT, MOROCCO

CONNECTING - ISSUE N8 - JUNE 2011

BEST PICTURES

AREZZO - GIULIA BERTELLETTI

LA TERZA NEL MEZZO - ILARIA GIACHI

LE CAIRE - NABIL BAHGAR

TIPASA - CHRISTOPHE GRAZ

DAMASCUS - MICHAEL DANNINGER

FES - MICHAEL DANNINGER

These pictures are an array of the best images collected within the Euromed Heritage programme to show the richness of the Mediterranean cultural heritage. The RMSu and RehabiMed Association have launched on 3 May 2010 a Photography Award contributing to awareness-raising of cultural heritage in the region. The awarded photos are published on the EH4 website Photo Gallery: http://www.euromedheritage.net/intern.cfm?menuID=88 Edition 2011 is pending...

CONNECTING - ISSUE N8 - JUNE 2011

MISCELLANEOUS
Our selected quotation
The construction of the Mediterranean requires patience; opposite the countless myths of division, still dominant everywhere, one must patiently construct dierent myths []and nd from the past the symbols, the men, the ideas, the places, the acts, and the eras that unite. Amin Maalouf

Our Agenda
RMSU events G 28-30 June 2011 beirut, lebanon Euromed Heritage 4 workshop on Apprenticeship
http://www.euromedheritage.net/intern.cfm?menuID=9&submenuID=7&idnews=526

Whats on
A response plan for Museum Theft (Amman, Jordan June 12-13) The illicit and stolen antiquities trade is considered today as one of the largest illegal businesses in the world. In 1994 alone, the estimate by Scotland Yard in such stolen cultural property was 3 billion british pounds worldwide. Once a looted object has been removed unlawfully from the country of origin, police have great diculties in tracking such objects. but professional thieves are not the only problem: in light with the recent civil unrest in the Arab States, is today more important then ever to support museum authorities in their task to protect collections, be it from accidents or illegal activities, armed conicts or natural disasters. This is the subject debated on June 12-13 in Amman, Jordan, at the Department of Antiquities, where museum directors and museum security experts - especially from Arab countries - are invited to participate in a two-day workshop dedicated to a Museum Theft Response Plan. This workshop is organized under the framework of the culture Programme funded by the European commission: Witness the Past: Education Programs for the Public and culture Heritage Professionals on Illicit Tracking of Antiquities. International experts on museum security are going to present their approach to risk management and theft response plans, in order to foster co-ordinated actions to prevent theft, to develop adequate response, and to promote eective recovery actions. On the agenda of the workshop are strategic plans to protect collections against various kinds of risks in the case of re, accidents, illegal activities, armed conicts etc, such as the ICOM Handbook on Emergency Procedures or the Museum Emergency Plan (MEP) . To nd out more: http://www.witnessthepast.gr/

International events G 27 May-19 June 2011 - Sanary sur Mer, France First festival of Mediterranean Photography
http://www.festivalphotomed.com/index.php/fr

G 16-17 June 2011 - Marseille, France REMEE conference Rediscovering the memories of water in the Mediterranean
www.remee.eu/

G 19-21 July 2011 Hebron, Palestine International conference on the Development of historical city centres
http://www.hebronrc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=271&Itemid=124&lang=en

G 5-10 September 2011 Rimini, Italy International Summer School in Geography of Tourism
http://www.economiarimini.unibo.it/Economia+Rimini/Didattica/Summer+e+winter+school/Summer+ School+2011/International_Summer_School_in_Geography_of_Tourism_2011.htm

G 23rd September 2011 - cartage, Tunis 2nd conference of Mare Nostrum Phoenician Routes in the Mediterranean Sea
www.eh4-marenostrum.net/

Readers corner
Thinking Through Tourism, Julie Scott, Tom Selwyn, 2011 The study of tourism has made key contributions to the study of anthropology. This volume denes the current state of the anthropology of tourism, examining political, economic, ideological and symbolic themes. A collection of case studies illustrate topics as diverse as hospitality, sex and tourism, enchantment, colonial and neo-colonial consumption, and the relation between tourism and gender and ethnic boundaries, as well as questions of global, economic and cultural systems, modernism and nationalism. The book also covers practical and policy issues relating to urban, rural and coastal planning and development. Thinking Through Tourism assesses the enormous potential contribution that analyses of tourism can oer to the mainstream of anthropological thinking. The volume opens up new avenues for enquiry and is an essential resource for students and scholars of anthropology, geography, tourism, sociology and related disciplines.

G September 2011 Zakyntos, Greece Pilot international workshop in architectural conservation

http://www.diadrasis.org/projects/romiri/general_description.html

G 27 November 2nd December Paris, France 17th IcOMOS General Assembly and Scientic Symposium
www.icomos.org

G 8-11 December 2011 Tunis, Tunisia conference on Modern Architecture in the Maghreb
http://www.archi-mag.com/essai_56.php

GRAPHIC DESIGN : MARTINE LAMBERT

I Euromed Heritage 4 Connecting - a quarterly publication of the RMSU for the Euromed Heritage 4 programme The RMSU Team: Christiane Dabdoub Nasser, Team Leader - Christophe Graz, Project Manager - George Zouain, Project Manager - Jean-Louis Luxen, Senior Legal Expert Daniela Cavini, Communication Expert - Giulia Bertelletti, Event Manager - Dario Berardi, IT Expert Join our mailing-list to receive Euromed Heritage 4 Connecting at http://www.euromedheritage.net I
RMSU Euromed Heritage 4 Programme rue dEgmont, 15 B-1000 Brussels t. +32 (0)2 609 55 50 - f. +32 (0)2 511 63 11 info@euromedheritage.net http://www.euromedheritage.net