ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in collaboration with THAAP and Serena Business Complex (Serena Hotels) organised an exhibition of the cultural products of southern Punjab at the Serena Business Complex on Tuesday.
National Heritage and Integration Secretary Asif Ghafoor along with Professor Sajida Haider Vandal inaugurated the exhibition.
Norway’s Ambassador to Pakistan Cecile Landsverk was also present on the occasion.
The exhibition showcased the cultural products prepared under the joint initiative by UNESCO in partnership with THAAP in 2012.
The project was carried out in two villages in the outskirts of Bahawalpur City of BC 33 and Dingarh, which is the drought-affected area of Cholistan Desert, where 150 women have been engaged through capacity building in the crafts making and focused on providing opportunities for income generation and decent livelihoods.
Capacity building, through artisan and designer collaboration, transferred and honed the skill level of the craftspeople in pit-loom woven fabric, chunri making skills, embroidery and ralli-making and developed designs to attract the contemporary market’s demands.
New skills such as ikat-making were also taught to the village weavers to increase their repertoire and equip them with skills to explore different avenues and markets.
Pit-loom woven fabric and embroidered fabric of high quality were developed and the skills of continual design development transferred to the marginalised artisan communities of District Bahawalpur to ensure long-term benefits of the project. staff report/app
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