The 39th edition of the Creative Crafts Exhibition is held March 10-19 at the Kram exhibition centre, with the participation of 1,200 exhibitors under the banner: “Our history…is our business.”

Inaugurated Friday by Prime Minister Najla Bouden, this exhibition is organised by the National Office of Tunisian Handicrafts (ONAT) with the participation of craftspeople, companies, young promoters and students in various fields including manual weaving, tableware, furniture and perfumes.

The exhibition includes the space of creation competitions with the participation of 188 students, the space of inspiration, the space Olympiad of woodcarving, the space of young promoters (85 young people) and the space regions showcasing the richness and diversity of 24 governorates.

Algeria is the guest of honour of this new edition through the participation of 25 craftspeople.

The Algerian participation is part of the implementation of cooperation agreements between the two countries in the traditional industries field and agreements between the National Handicrafts Office and the Algerian National Agency for Handicrafts.

ONAT Director General Faouzi Ben Halima underlined the importance of the exhibition in terms of the number of participants.

He announced that the ONAT intends to organise next June the 1st edition of the exhibition of fashion and accessories to allow craftspeople to promote their products.

The office is also endeavouring to ensure the revival of the tourist market and to target the export market, he pointed out, specifying that Tunisia has recently achieved export receipts of TND 40 million for the American market, TND 22 million for the French market and TND 17 million for the Qatari market.

Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts Mohamed Moez Belhassine underlined for his part, that the exhibition is an important event for the handicrafts sector, a vital field for the national economy that provides employment for over 300 thousand craftsmen and craftswomen.

It is also an opportunity to unveil the creativity and innovation of young craftspeople, he said, pointing out the need to work harder to boost exports in the handicrafts sector, especially since there is a strong demand for the Tunisian destination and handicrafts products.

The revenues from crafts exports had reached TND 150 in 2022, Belhassine specified.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP)