I was never really the kind of person who knew much about the craft industry in Egypt. But to be honest, whenever I coincidentally bump into a handicrafts shop, I always get this strange feeling of belonging or this weird kind of nostalgia to a time that I wasn’t necessarily present in, but for some reason felt very much connected to. Yes, the modern world is definitely taking over but I believe that this is the normal evolution of things. From time to time, however, one needs to go beyond the materialistic world and get in touch with their authenticity and cultural originality, which is sadly diminishing nowadays. For this exact reason, I decided to go on a mission to Craffiti, to discover everything about the Egyptian art of handicrafts, but most importantly, the people involved in the field.
For starters, Craffiti is an Egyptian exhibition — taking place at Nasr City’s Fairground — that was initially developed for craftsmen and women, with a real focus on preserving heritage and the future of the handicrafts sector in Egypt.
Mostafa Sadek for 925
Upon my arrival, the first person I stumbled upon was Hashem Al-Sayed. Brought up in Fayoum’s Kom Oshim village, Al-Sayed had the art of pottery flowing through his blood and his heart. Passed on to him by his father, pottery became Al-Sayed’s passion in life. Deciding to stand out, Al-Sayed built a reputation for himself throughout several Arab cities. He challenged himself and the world by molding the highest pot in the world, measuring 3.5 meters in height. “My dream is to be known across the world and I won’t stop until I make this dream come true,” Al-Sayed said to me.
Wandering around, taking in all the beauty of Egypt’s handicrafts at the exhibition, my eyes met Fatma Wares. Wares was an Arabic teacher who found joy raising future generations to come to appreciate the exquisiteness of the Arabic language. Nevertheless, life tested Wares in the harshest of ways when she got in a car accident, paralyzing her limbs and forcing her to stay at home. Complaining about it was not an option for her, so she started her own line of work and became a crochet-maker. Wares now has a brand named after her, Mashghoolat Fatma. She confirmed to me that we’ll be seeing her range of products around Egypt, by next year. I wished her the best of luck with biggest smile my face could make.
Mostafa Sadek for 925
Arabic calligraphy is a very unique kind of art to me, so when I saw a booth that showcases it, I was immediately intrigued. Islam Ramadan, a full-time accountant and a half-time professor in the art of calligraphy, welcomed me with his inviting and warm personality. Ramadan discovered his skill at the young age of 17 and decided to seek professional schooling for Arabic calligraphy. “I wish that people would appreciate and recognize calligraphy’s sophistication and worth more. I believe that one day I can be the trigger for that.”
After the very productive and beautiful stroll at Craffiti, the one common denominator that I discovered about these talented people, is that their success and reach goes in part to the Ebda3 Men Masr initiative, created by ALEXBANK. Within the framework of its social responsibility strategy, the bank launched this initiative to promote Egyptian handicrafts and original works of art, especially in remote areas. It was quite refreshing to see an event that sheds light on some of the untapped talents that we have in the country that aren’t just keeping the craft industry alive in the most beautiful of ways, but also benefiting our economy.
