Abu Dhabi: Fostering a dialogue among cultures and civilisations, the Entrepreneurship Development Sougha Company’s stall at the Liwa Date Festival’s eleventh edition showcased two new handmade attractions.
Driven towards granting Emirati artisans access to a brighter future, Sougha’s stall featured for the first time a cap carefully crafted from scratch using Saaf (woven palm leaves) and a clutch made of camel leather, provided by Al Khaznah Tannery, Hanan Rashed Al Tenaiji, an officer at Sougha told Gulf News.
“We have been a part of the festival for the past six years and our aim is to really enable our craftswomen to taste recognition through displaying their handmade items,” she explained.
An array of traditional essentials were also on display at the Liwa Date Festival such as key chains made from date pits; a sarrod, which is used to store and display food, and a set of multi-coloured coasters, all of which are handmade products that encapsulate UAE’s flourishing culture.
“Since its inception in 2009, Sougha, which was launched by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, has grown its number of artisans from seven to 500 across different corners of the UAE,” Hanan told Gulf News.
Maintaining the art of crafting handmade products, instilling a love of preserving UAE’s rich culture and sparking a wealth of entrepreneurial opportunities for Emirati artisans top Sougha’s priority list, she added.
Due to the increasing demand for Sougha’s products, Hanan told Gulf News that purchase orders can now be made online to accommodate as many requests as possible. “Sometimes the elderly are unable to attend some of the festivals so we decided to launch this initiative to fully maximise our reach,” she added.
Hanan said that Sougha has contributed to a number of prominent events across the UAE such as Qasr Al Hosn and Formula 1 Abu Dhabi, among others. “We are also panning to take part in upcoming festivals across Al Dhafra and Ajman,” she added.
Some of Sougha’s main sponsors include Khalifa Fund for Enterprise development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Masdar, Tawazun, Etihad Airways, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, Executive Affairs Authority, Al Dar properties, Abu Dhabi Airport company, University of Dubai, and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group, among others.
Liwa Date Festival
The festival, now in its eleventh year, is the region’s premier celebration of date production and the varied products this desert fruit is now lending itself to. A fascinating insight into many desert traditions, the festival includes a date beauty contest, a date auction, and educational sessions on how to care for palm trees. There are also competitions for the best lemons and mangoes. A heritage show runs alongside the event.
Source: Visit Abu Dhabi
Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News
