Ecrame HAZGAINE & Hafida OUAMMI
Get in Touch : https://www.instagram.com/akal__m/
Our project is AKAL where we find it more than just pottery; it holds stories, craft, and soul. When we visited the Tamgrout village which is the big source of pottery in the region recently, we were heartbroken to see that pottery, once the pride of this place, is now fading. Only two families are still practicing it. Women are completely excluded, and youth are disconnected. That’s how our project; AKAL actually started, from a place of care, from wanting to do something about it, even if it’s small. Our project aims to promote the cultural heritage while including the youth and women to this process and contributing to their economic independence through reviving the cultural heritage as pottery.
In the beginning, even we had the plan to do everything; it was mostly just an idea full of questions and doubts. We were partnered, and together, we shaped AKAL with the little we had, which is our time, energy, creativity, and some faith. We reached out to artisans and asked questions. We sat with them, and really listened to their challenges. At the start; We heard things like: “The gas oven burns our work” and “Youth aren’t interested anymore” and actually some women told us, “We’ve never even touched clay.”.
We wanted to honor and revitalise the art of pottery in our community. We have started by exploring the different techniques and designs, cooperating with local artisans. We have done workshops with the children, women and youth to engage them to the process while collaborating with artisans to get training and engage the target groups to make clay bottles by using their spaces. At first; we have organized a “Youth & Heritage” activity, where we just opened space to discussion. It was amazing how many young people showed up so curious and ready to reconnect with this legacy and engage in the pottery making.
Our project objectives were :
- Connecting the heritage with the younger generation and involving the community in the process of preserving the pottery culture that is fading
- Introduce more safer and sustainable materials and methods while keeping the local touch or disconnecting it from tradition
- Build emotional and economic value around pottery by highlighting creativity, therapy and entrepreneurship and helping to have a story behind every pottery piece so it’s always alive and valuable
During the project; we have realised that the young people are interested in the pottery and local artisans are willing to engage with the local community. We have tried to create a collection of the potteries by introducing new designs that continue to blend tradition with modernity. Our goal is to reach bigger audience and share the beauty of Moroccan pottery with the world while creating an income in the local community and contribute to the preservance of the cultural heritage in our community.
During our research and conversations with local artisans, we discovered that the traditional green glaze once considered the symbol of Tamgroute pottery contains elements that could be harmful over time, and this realization pushed us to rethink our materials without compromising on soul or authenticity of the pottery. That’s why final designs and the current collections are rooted in terracotta clay, a raw, earthy clay that honors the past while being safer and more sustainable; it is our way of maintaining heritage while offering a cleaner, more conscious form of expression. It is about making heritage feel alive again not through nostalgia, but through relevance, and we want our pieces to carry a feeling, a sense of place, a whisper of the hands that made them, creating an ecosystem where creativity and culture are not separate from economic opportunity.
