Cultural exhibit: UNESCO displays works of 600 women artisans

Works of 600 skilful women from Bahawalpur in a display held at Lok Virsa

The purpose of the joint efforts of Unesco and the Trust for History Art and Architecture Pakistan (THAAP) in the One UN project had one aim: improving the livelihoods of marginalised women artisans.

According to a press release issued by Unesco, THAAP and Unesco exhibited works of 600 skilful women from Bahawalpur in a display held at the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) on Sunday. The purpose was to build the capacities of these marginalised artisans to directly market their products - an attempt to remove the middlemen who have been exploiting them.

Initiated in 2011, the project titled “Promotion of Cultural Industries for Poverty Alleviation in Bahawalpur” covered five villages of the district: Abbass Nagar, Dera Bukka, BC-33, DNB-112 and Bheli, and honed the skills of women artisans in pit-loom woven fabric, embroidery and making chunris. The weavers were then given training on how to manage and market their products directly to customers.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2012.