CAIRO: The design industry in Egypt has taken a recent move towards more environmentally friendly design solutions. Nadia Maanani is one of the industry's few pioneers introducing a whole new line of recyclable handmade crafts produced by her firm Egyptian Identity Crafts (EID). Eco Options Egypt had the opportunity to meet with Maanani so that she could share her thoughts about the new ideas she's introducing. Q: Tell me a bit about yourself. A: I was born and grew up in Paris [and my] parents are of Moroccan origin. I lived in London for many years, and moved to Egypt three years ago to work as a tour guide for a British company. After finishing my contract, I decided to stay in Egypt and start my own handcrafts business, in Cairo first, then expanding it to South Sinai. Q: How did you come up with the idea? A: The idea of EID Crafts came from the numerous tourists I used to take on tour in Egypt and Jordan. They were disappointed that Egypt didn't have many handcrafted products truly made in the country, and that everything revolved mainly around Pharaonic style items (imported from China). Q: Describe how people reacted to your idea. A: People supported the concept of EID Crafts right away, because it was unique in the sense that every single item sold was handmade, and made from local materials found in Cairo. There are many shops selling handcrafts that claim their products are made in Egypt, but the truth is that many of them are shipped straight from China, Turkey, India, Indonesia or Thailand. I did sometimes have to buy materials where I was unsure of the origin, but the truth is that this helps small businesses and individuals based in Egypt, for example the people that collect the scraps of leather that I will end up buying to make my products. Q: What inspires you? A: The aim of EID Crafts is to bring to the market high quality contemporary and edgy handcraft designs, that are all handmade here and support skilled young Egyptian hand-crafters. I truly believe that in terms of heritage, Egypt has a lot to offer but it is easy for shops to sell Pharaonic products because they believe that is what tourists expect to see here. I also want to target the off the beaten track travelers, the expat community, and also the upper class Egyptians who spend most of their young years studying abroad before finally settling back in Egypt. They are the ones who travel and can potentially inspire people to visit Egypt, and the ones bringing samples of Egyptian handcrafts to friends and family abroad. Q: Do you think there is a need in the Egyptian market for these types of products? A: There is a need for recycled and up-cycled products. The primary cost of the materials are very low, and they are more environmentally friendly. People when buying EID crafts recycled/up-cycled products feel that they have contributed to a “cleaner Egypt”, even if it is on a small scale! This part of our collection is limited to recycled milk cartons, grocery bags and cassette tapes, which are everyday items but which contribute to the Zabaleen community's income, which is an indispensable part of the micro economy of Cairo. The Egyptian mentality in the handcraft business is not to take any risk in terms of creativity. The rule is to follow what works already. That's why we see so many shops selling exactly the same products. Before having distributors, I used to sell my products personally at craft fairs and outdoor bazaars. The response was great, and everyone enjoyed spending time at my stall. They had never seen products like EID Crafts before, and were sometimes surprised that they were made in Egypt. The funkiness of the products, and the fact that they were versatile, made the expat community and the upper class Egyptians my most important buyers, because they were simply bored of the mass produced items available in Khan El Khalili. They wanted something original to bring back to their family and that was truly made in Egypt, and which would also fit in their western lifestyle. Q: Do you feel that the Egyptian society overall is environmentally conscious enough to buy your products? A: It will take years until Egypt is environmentally friendly. There are no fines for littering, no bins on the streets, and when shopping you end up with thousands of plastic bags which you have no need for. It's hard to be environmentally friendly, especially when people will think you are an alien for not throwing your cigarette butt on the floor! The divisions between classes in Egypt is obvious in terms of attitudes to the environment. The middle class are not interested in recycled/up-cycled products, because they don't see the point in paying for something that has been used before. Their interest lies in cheap, Western branded products made in China. The upper classes, however, often look down on these products, because they are synonymous with mass production and therefore not unique or original. They are more supportive of preserving Egyptian Heritage crafts even if it means paying more money for them, and they have something that not many people have. With regards to the lower classes, they recycle and reuse many of their materials by necessity. Understandably, they can not afford EID Crafts products, but we are supporting the community by buying the raw materials from them where possible. EID Crafts is not the spokesperson for recycled/up-cycled handcrafts. I am sure many artists do it already. The Townhouse Gallery gave me my chance and it happened to work for EID Crafts. I think you just need more of those art galleries in Egypt; that host exhibitions that can change people's mentality. Many countries, such as Vietnam and some African countries, have understood the benefits of recycling and up-cycling products. Various NGOs help women in villages to make a living by selling their own recycled creations made from foil packaging, newspapers, discarded coconut shells, tires and so on. People buying these products feel they have contributed directly to the local economy, and brought home something truly unique! Let's hope things expand in that direction in Egypt. Writer's Conclusion: Though Maanani's goal is noble in its devotion to promoting Egyptian art and the use of recyclable materials, Maanani still faces the challenge of a society which is more concerned with making ends meet. Nonetheless, the Egyptian design industry has recently witnessed a new move towards recyclable design solutions, especially with the recent recyclable design workshops being offered in both culture and design management centers here in Egypt. Though this movement is in its fetal state, Maanani has high hopes that it will one grow and become the base of the Egyptian cultural products scene. Eco Options Egypt
