Chefchaouen Artisans Face Economic Struggle Despite Zero COVID Cases

For Mohamed Rahmouni, a woodworking craftsman and president of the partnership and external relations commission within the Chamber of Crafts of Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, craftsmen are experiencing a "slow and very difficult" resumption of activities, with cafes, traditional restaurants, hammams, etc. "having been partially or totally shut down," reports Aujourd’hui le Maroc.

The observation made across the entire territory of the province, during this deconfinement period, is that the majority of craftsmen have chosen not to resume activities because of the ongoing crisis.

Some 12,000 craftsmen spread between Chefchaouen and other rural municipalities live from this key sector of the local economy of the province, he specifies, before stressing that the crisis shaking the craft sector dates back well before the confinement. According to him, it would be due to the drop in demand and the competition of foreigners at the national level. "Increasingly, we are recording the import of wooden doors from Turkey and Portugal, while we are recognized for our know-how in this field," laments Mr. Rahmouni.

To survive the crisis, Houria Bouchafrati, president of the Jawharat Rif women’s cooperative for cakes and festive meals, is trying to convince her customers to postpone the delivery date of their orders. "We don’t know what to do to be able to continue paying the rent, water and electricity of the cooperative’s premises, while we have made a lot of efforts to set it up and develop it," she complains.