Fez Artisans Struggle to Revive Craft Businesses After COVID-19 Shutdown

"At a time when we were preparing for the Tbourida season and festivals, including the one in El Jadida, the coronavirus surprised us, forcing us to completely stop our activities," says Adil El Haddadi, who specializes in the manufacture of traditional rifles used in "fantasia". Like Adil, many artisans found themselves in the same situation.

"The covid-19 pandemic coincided with the peak of our activity which was completely at a standstill," adds Saida Bennis, owner of a caftan shop in the old medina. Ahmed Bouchaala, a shoemaker and master craftsman of the famous "Babouche Ziwania", points out that "unfortunately, the normal resumption of activity will coincide with the end of the summer season". A period during which many tourists buy craft products. Faced with this situation, all these artisans call on the supervisory authorities to intervene to revive the sector.

"We are witnessing a start-up with ups and downs, due to the particular context of the covid-19 pandemic," admits Abdelmalek Bouteyine, president of the Chamber of Crafts of the Fez-Meknes region, stressing that the sector has been hard hit by the health crisis.

A work of consultation and coordination has been initiated with the craft associations with a view to initiating a new start-up that will strengthen the position of the Moroccan product at the national and international levels, he adds.