Keeping eye on handicraft sub-sector
Ethiopia is endowed with a wide variety of cultural arts and crafts that represent its diversified ethnics, people's life style, beliefs, traditions or you name it. These art works are, however, not well tailored in a way they better off either the livelihood of the people or the image of the nation. As Ethiopia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa, the traditional art works- carvings, paints, jeweleries, and the likes- would attract as many tourists for the remembrance of the spots they give a visit in particular and the nation in general. Due to that upgrading the skills of the artificers, the quality of the art works and their design is squarely important to boost indirect economic contributions to the tourism sector as well as in crating jobs for thousands of citizens. More importantly, the artefacts and art works will play a great role in promoting the good image of the nation.
As the government of Ethiopia has attached due attention to the tourism sector, various supports have been given for Micro and Small scale enterprises to produce a better quality handicrafts. Hence, tap the unobserved potential of the area. As a result, some encouraging changes have been gained so far, according to Aweke Tenaw, Public and International Relations Director for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
This being the case, another worth noticing issue is, some souvenir shop owners create confusion on tourists through deceiving them with handicrafts that are imported form neighbouring countries and feigning them as a local arts works. Available data have it that, this deceiving even goes to the extent of labelling materials that does not exist in Ethiopian flora as local ones. This worse act creates multifarious disadvantages. One it does not represent the nation at all and gives the nation wrong image. The other still daunting issue is that the importers compete foreign currency to import products which could have been produced here by fellow citizens.
Therefore, the relevant stakes have a lot to do in employing the handicraft sub sector for more job creation and promoting the nation's image, on one hand. And bringing the people who deceive tourists to the right truck, on the other. The ministry also need to provide packages to upgrade the handicraft sub-sector and integrate it with technical and vocational education and training system of the country.
As the government of Ethiopia has attached due attention to the tourism sector, various supports have been given for Micro and Small scale enterprises to produce a better quality handicrafts. Hence, tap the unobserved potential of the area. As a result, some encouraging changes have been gained so far, according to Aweke Tenaw, Public and International Relations Director for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
This being the case, another worth noticing issue is, some souvenir shop owners create confusion on tourists through deceiving them with handicrafts that are imported form neighbouring countries and feigning them as a local arts works. Available data have it that, this deceiving even goes to the extent of labelling materials that does not exist in Ethiopian flora as local ones. This worse act creates multifarious disadvantages. One it does not represent the nation at all and gives the nation wrong image. The other still daunting issue is that the importers compete foreign currency to import products which could have been produced here by fellow citizens.
Therefore, the relevant stakes have a lot to do in employing the handicraft sub sector for more job creation and promoting the nation's image, on one hand. And bringing the people who deceive tourists to the right truck, on the other. The ministry also need to provide packages to upgrade the handicraft sub-sector and integrate it with technical and vocational education and training system of the country.
Editorial, The Ethiopian Herald , by worku Belachew
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