Behind the Lens: Taking Hold of Opportunity
Faiza Hajji Wozniak is a photographer and social entrepreneur from Morocco who won first place in the photo essay category of UNDP’s Picture This: Caring for the Earth 2009 photo contest. She also developed and launched a fair trade programme in partnership between the Government of France and her hometown in Morocco called IFASSEN. IFASSEN employs 21 craftswomen who collect discarded plastic bags and weave them into fashion accessories like bags, purses and wallets; they are then exported to France, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States. She spoke about her trip to Douar el Kasba.
“Thanks to efforts to preserve its architectural inheritance, Douar el Kasba is an oasis that is still perfectly integrated with the natural environment. It gives the impression that time has stood still and the inhabitants there are very peaceful, welcoming and live in harmony with nature.
The women there are very courageous and very motivated to work and learn so they can contribute to the economic life of their oasis. Zineb has a particularly strong personality. She brushes aside society’s prejudices, prejudices that are still very prevalent in today’s rural communities, and she runs the basket-making cooperative with a firm hand. I accompanied Zineb to her meeting with the cooperative’s members and then to watch the harvesting of the palm tree leaves needed to make the baskets. I also followed her during her daily work in the fields. She shows an unwavering determination that makes you admire her.
UNDP’s Southern Oasis Programme is huge, and includes sustainable tourism, agriculture and the conservation of cultural heritage. I had the opportunity to see it in action. IFASSEN has just signed a cooperation agreement with UNDP for an 18 month technical assistance programme; as a result, we will now be assisting participating oasis cooperatives like the one in Douar el Kasba to develop and market new products using contemporary designs based on traditional know-how. We will also show the cooperatives how to make similar products made of recycled plastic bags.
Surprisingly, Douar el Kasba is very different from my hometown. It was the first time for me to visit this part of the country, and I was surprised by how diverse Morocco is. Life seems to be much more difficult in the oasis, as the environment can be very hostile, but the people are as friendly as in the rest of Morocco!”