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The slogan ‘small is beautiful’ is gaining ground in Bangladesh, and the people are making big strides in producing high-quality handicrafts and offering them to the world. Photo – Times of Oman
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Muscat: The International Festival for Arts, Heritage and Creativity, which started on February 14, as part of Muscat Festival 2013 at Al Amerat Park, is in full swing, with various countries participating and displaying key aspects of their heritage and culture.
Amidst more than two dozen participating nations, Bangladesh has set up very colourful, diverse stalls to display the country's traditional arts and crafts, including basket wares, handmade jute mats, jewellery, Jamdani sarees, nakshi kantha (embroidered comforters and home-décor items), leather products, apparel and fabrics, pottery, home furnishings and regular home-décor items.
The Bangladeshi pavilion is manned by a few handloom workers, who are knitting —on-site— some of the finest jute products available.
The manufacturers, factory owners and officials of an exporters' association are also present at the stalls to explain the origin of the handicrafts and the dynamics of the multi-billion dollar handicraft industry.
Speaking to Times of Oman, SU Haider, president of the Bangladesh Handicrafts Manufacturers and Exporters Association, one of the country's largest associations of exporters, noted that Muscat Festival is an ideal platform to display Bangladesh's finest handicrafts and textiles, which are well known all over the world. "The idea is to promote our country's arts and crafts, which are produced by more than 5 million people, most of whom are from the lowest strata of society," Haider stated.
He added that the slogan 'small is beautiful' is gaining ground in Bangladesh, and the people are making strides in producing high-quality handicrafts and offering them to the world. "Banglacraft plays a vital role in the communication and exchange of reliable and precise information between manufacturers, exporters, craftsmen, and businessmen for the promotion of the handicraft industry," Haider told Times of Oman.
He pointed out that despite the presence of cheaper goods in the market, Bangladesh had been able to maintain its lead due to its stringent quality standards and growing consumer awareness.
Also present at one of the Bangladeshi stalls was Ashrafur Rahman, managing director of Nipun Crafts Limited — a leading Dhaka-based manufacturer, retailer, and wholesaler of handloom fabrics, handicrafts and garments.
Ashrafur thanked the organisers of the Muscat Festival for their cooperation and remarked that the response from the people of Oman had been "tremendous."
"The Omani people, apart from being very hospitable, are also very curious and take a deep interest in traditional arts and crafts. Many of the Bangladeshi items on display, especially the Dhaka muslin, handmade basket ware, and leather and jute products have struck a chord with the people here and have proven to be very popular," the Dhaka-based businessman stated. When asked about the significance of the micro-credit loan programme in Bangladesh, Ashrafur said the flourishing textile and handicraft industry owed a lot to grass roots-level initiatives. He added that such campaigns have helped to alleviate poverty and created new jobs.
Bangladesh has seen significant socioeconomic development over the last decade, with export earnings for fiscal year 2011–12 expected to register a growth rate of 36 per cent, compared with the previous year. According to the country's finance ministry, apparel exports are expected to exceed $18 billion in 2013. Finished leather, leather goods, and jute products are also making significant contributions to the export basket.
Touching on the controversial subject of child labour, both the Bangladeshi businessmen and the president of the exporters' association stated that conditions have improved drastically, and the issue has been resolved, thanks to efforts made by the government and non-governmental organisations. However, the president of Banglacraft insisted that not all working children could be classified as 'child labourers'.
"The tradition of handicrafts is passed on from one generation to the next, and it is imperative for children to take an interest in it and to learn, practise, and preserve it. If today's children are not taught these crafts, which are an essential fabric of our society, then Bangladesh's handicrafts will cease to exist since the next generation will not be aware of their heritage," observed Ashrafur.
Bangladesh's pavilion at the International Festival for Arts, Heritage, and Creativity has been visited by thousands of visitors, including Omani men, who are taking a deep interest in handmade Omani caps. Omani women, on the other hand, are buying Jamdani kurtis, hand-woven shawls and quilts, and silk products.
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