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New Lines from Yemen PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, & PLACES |
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| November 2009 |  |
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David is just back from Yemen in southern Arabia - a wonderful country - diverse, welcoming but poor and challenged in many ways. Here is an update about the work he did there and the new lines & samples which will be here by November 1st 2009. WONDERWORLD is the only UK importer/wholesaler offering Yemeni handicraft. If you want to see samples & get more details - please contact us. |
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Click all thumbnails below for bigger pictures of products, producers & places in Yemen |
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Frankincense. Following our tour of Yemen last year we were keen to get moving with Yemeni tree gum aromatics. The recent series 'The Frankincense Trail' on BBC2 fronted by Kate Humble which a few of you may have seen also offered encouragement. We have appointed a women's NGO in Sana'a - capital of Yemen (Talha Center for Marketing Heritage Handicrafts Products) to process and package the frankincense. The work will be done by disadvantaged women (divorced, disabled, abandoned) in the NGO's comfortable premises in the Old City of Sana'a. The rate for the work has been calculated with reference to evidence on the daily wage rate for unskilled male labourers in Sana'a and compared to rates paid to women tree gum processors in Aden we can assert that it is highly beneficial. In addition a generous commission will be paid to the NGO. Our frankincense is sourced raw and natural from traders in the port city of Mukhalla in the eastern part of Yemen. We obtained samples from there via a branch of the national NGO that is our principle partner in Yemen at the moment. We spent a lot of time explaining to the Mukhalla branch exactly what quality of frankincense we needed to buy. We also obtained the necessary packaging & workshopped how the Sana'a NGO would make the 50g packets up. On the basis of the involvement of the women's NGO in Sana'a, the work we have done with them establishing cost bases and wage rates and the developmental value of introducing added value processes for Yemeni tree gum aromatics we offer Yemeni frankincense for distribution in fair trade networks. In future we want to contact the Bedouins and Somali refugees who go into the desert mountains to find and collect frankincense and find ways of extending the benefits of fair trade to them
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 Raw Yemeni Frankincense
Contact us for prices via the WONDERWORLD home page
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Handloom Textiles. Shibam
It is great to see handloom textiles alive and very much part of daily wear and use for Yemenis. The handloom clothes often used as a wrap around sariong type lower garment signify regional & tribal identity throughout Yemen. In particular we were impressed by the gray/brown/sandy colours and designs used by weavers in Hadramawt, eastern Yemen. We travelled there to see a group working in the based in the old city of Shibam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shibam is an icon of Yemeni culture & history - 500 mud brick tower houses up to 11 storeys high. Shibam lies in the mystical, spectacular and isolated Wadi Hadramawt, on the southern edge of the Empty Quarter, eastern Yemen. It should be popular with visitors but very occasional deadly attacks by Al Qaeda against police, army and foreigners have reduced tourism in the area. Now the old city is commercially dead apart from the hand loom weavers who are still busy in small units around the narrow, sandy streets.
We have selected 7 designs from 5 different hand loom weavers who will produce the traditional 180 by 90 cms sized cloth. When we offer these products for sale in the UK we will supply PoS material identifying the specific producer - giving his name and most cases a picture.
Given the context and structures I have just described we offer Shibam handloom textiles for distribution in fair trade networks. |
 Shibam city overview
 Skyscrapers
 Inside Shibam
Shibam Handloom
Weaver:  Shibam mud wall |
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Handloom Textiles Hodeidah Another popular, distinctive handloom textile called 'murven' are red & black weaves from Zebat in the Hodeidah region. Traditionally they are combined with bright yellow and used in 2.5m by 1m lengths for covering walls and furnishings. We have selected a few variations on this theme. In looking at these items we were shown the difference between Yemeni products and Indian copies. Many traditional Yemeni artefacts are now produced on the sub-continent and imported, We will be acquiring only Yemeni products. We have not yet visited the producers so do not offer these products for fair trade networks - yet. |
 BW-HD-AA 250*100cm
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Brass Lanterns
Traditional Yemeni lanterns are collapsible brass and cotton artefacts with a candle inside that would induce panic in any risk averse European bureaucrat. So that's out then. Fortunately there is a safer alternatively. With the assistance of a German advisor the brass lantern producers in Sana'a have designed lantern which will accommodate a light bulb fitting and sooth the fears of our guardians. In fact many Yemeni brass lantern producers have faced obstacles in developing their businesses. In Sana'a old city I heard bitter complaints that a cartel of traders, a 'mafia' said one man, controlled the local market to ensure that producers could not get higher prices. Producers were also prevented from seeking export opportunities. We heard of senior politicians backing traders threats to stop producers exhibiting at European trade fairs. Good that the national level NGO we are working with has it's own connections at very senior level in the Government and is quite able to stand its' ground and help producers fight unfair, restrictive and corrupt trading practises in this industry. Contact us for prices via the WONDERWORLD home page
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Lanterns top view
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