In light of Petra recently being named one of the New Seven World Wonders, there has never been a better time to examine the state of Jordan’s handicraft sector. Zaina Steityeh met with several key players in the industry and explored the main obstacles to businesses reaching their full potential.

A walk through the ceramic workshop of one of Amman’s leading ceramic designers, Silsal, presents a clear manifestation of what the Jordanian handicraft sector is on a national scale. The workshop comprises of about half a dozen small- to medium-sized rooms, all interconnected yet with very differing specialties, and all engaged in the production of ceramic products that could take up to six weeks to complete. Moving between those rooms are, on the most part, finely skilled women, of differing ages, yet nearly all within the low-income stratum of the Jordanian economy.

While handicrafts were once closely associated with rural villages and Bedouin communities, more up-market handicraft outlets and producers have emerged on the coattails of an increase in the sector’s popularity. “When Silsal first started, the market trend indicated that consumers wanted to buy imported products. Ceramics were not regarded as a substantial purchase or gift,” remarked Reem Atallah, a co-founder of Sisal. She added, “Jordan has not been isolated from the recent worldwide appreciation of indigenous products and an increase in their popularity.” However, it is an industry with inherent difficulties, both in inception, creativity and development.

Diffused And Confused
Any preliminary or in-depth research into this culturally and economically vital sector uncovers a nascent and unstable industry. The handicraft sector is an extremely diffused industry, mainly due to the fact that by their very nature handicrafts comprise a whole range of art and design variation. Undoubtedly, there has been some debate as to what can be classified as handicrafts and what can not, and this debate has translated accurately into the country’s national accounts. The government has classified some activities under the broad title of “tourism” whilst relegating some to the “crafts” sector, along with mechanics and carpentry. Thus, an exact or even ballpark figure of what impact the handicraft sector has on the economy as a whole is nearly impossible to ascertain.

As with most countries however, it is the mix of hard-nosed and normative economics that determine the value of an industry to its locals. Jewelry, pottery, glassware, traditional home wares and any other products that draw inspiration from their local environment “preserve our cultural inheritance, provide soul to our society and forge our and historical identity,” remarked Nadia Dajani, one of Amman’s top jewelry designers. In a world that is swiftly taking on swathes of globalization, it is perhaps one of the most important industries in terms of its soft marketing power internationally, as well as its ability to provide a cohesive template domestically.

Standing Alone
In amongst the delicate colors and intricate patterns that are expertly woven into a traditional Bedouin rug or at the hand of a creative painter are the sweat and tears of an industry struggling to stay vibrant, inventive, inspired and afloat. This is an industry that should be in a chrysalis. However, the reality is that it receives minimal support from both the public or private sector, despite its revenue - and employment-generating potential.

One might imagine that once a natural creative talent is “in the bag,” the rest is quite easy. After all, production centers and workshops are relatively easier to set up and the pool of willing laborers could not be wider. Alas, for many artists, designers and entrepreneurs, this is as far from the truth as an assumption can be. Startups within this sector are mainly funded through the private equity and accumulated savings of their founders. This has left many owners and designers in financial risk as their businesses are particularly indolent, taking several years before reaching the break-even point. Moreover, regardless of their size or end product, the fact that businesses in this industry receive minimal support from the public sector is a common denominator. “We would feel encouraged if there were government incentives directed towards the handicraft sector. At the moment, however, we are treated very much like any other private, import-export company,” Dajani commented. Others have pointed to the time and money wasted in overcoming bureaucracy, red tape and endless paperwork, especially when it comes to importing raw materials or exporting their merchandise.

The Street Potter
Manpower is the primary input in this industry and despite throngs of unemployed workers, the intricacy, creativity and perseverance demanded effectively exclude a large slice of candidates. Many businesses in this industry are headed by women who have dedicated themselves to the empowerment of other women, especially those who are sole breadwinners of their families. While most of the women working in Silsal’s workshop acquired their initial training at Al-Salt Handicraft Training Center, its founders, like others in the business, have aimed to provide continuous training, the provision of family health insurance and flexi-time work schedules to their staff.

Most creative industries begin with an equally creative vision. Silsal, founded by two sisters, began with the idea of rejuvenating the Jordanian heritage of the street potter in their pursuit of creating functional art. “Most street potters are Egyptian as the skill was almost eliminated when Jordanian street potters were ordered off the streets and into indoor workshops due to pollution concerns,” explains Atalla. While Egypt created a specialized zone for street potters decades ago, Jordanian potters were relegated to obscure workshops, far removed from passersby - their traditional target market.  

Khalil Burgan, who along with his wife Lina Lama established their designer handicraft workshop and Al Burgan Gallery in 1989, corroborates the view that one of the main obstacles is finding a suitable workforce. “Qualified manpower is a difficult commodity to come by, especially those with an eye for the intricate finishing touches our products are renowned for,” he said during an interview with Jordan Business. Designer businesses have thus resorted to importing their employees and have therefore faced yet another hurdle. For example, businesses in Qualifying Industrial Zones are able to import labor at lower cost than businesses operating within the Greater Amman Municipality, where working permits currently stand at JD320. The costs are consequently transferred onto the customer, further straining the industry’s competitive edge.

The Shadow Game
The “Shadow Game” is that irritating and nerve-wracking game five-year-olds play as they mimic each other’s speech and actions for as long as their attention spans allow, or until one of them loses his temper. It seems as though the handicraft sector has itself been subjected to the annoyance of copycatting and plagiarism that, while not restricted to this industry, may have a greater effect on its capabilities for continued innovation. Piracy is a problem the world over, but it has been found to have its greatest negative effects on industries where creativity, imagination and continued originality are key. However, the response to this predicament has varied from one designer to another, with some preferring to remain small, isolated and protected (and thus less vulnerable), while others have decided to power through and ignore it as an unfortunate reality. Needless to say, the harmful impact and the need for enforced copyright and patent laws within Jordan are apparent.

Missing The Tourist Circuit
The Rough Guide series is one of the most popular tourist guidebooks on US and European bookshelves. The chapter on Jordanian handicrafts starts off with a rather ominous observation, stating: “Unlike Syria, Palestine and Egypt, the trading history of Jordan mostly revolved around goods passing rather than being produced.” It further notes that “Jordan has no craft bazaars…what you might come across almost certainly originate from outside Jordan itself.” In fact, most key players in the handicraft sector suggest that as high as 95 to 98% of available crafts sold in Jordan are imported from the Far East, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. Not only do these imported products dangerously strangulate competition due to unmatched lower prices, they are also passed off by merchants as “original Jordanian” products.
Touters, taxi drivers and tour guides further compound this situation by steering tourists away from galleries and workshops featuring Jordanian products. They opt instead to follow the scent of higher commission rates, most often offered by merchants and traders, usually carrying imported commodities. Commission rates and bribes can reach up to a staggering 40% of an outlet’s profit, which traditional, authentic handicraft designers cannot compete with if they are to remain afloat and viable. Moreover, it is important to remember that the imported, cheap handicrafts that are passed off as Jordanian can swiftly mislead tourists’ perception of the quality and refinement traditionally displayed by bona fide pieces.

In attempting to circumvent these obstacles and tap into the growing tourist market, some designers have opted to display their merchandise at gift shops located in five-star hotels or the airport. “The airport is one of the best outlets for our products, as tourists are unaffected by obstinate tour guides. Additionally, you have to prove yourself to maintain your allocated space within the limited confines of [the Queen Alia International] airport. This type of competition is what the sector needs,” Burgan observed. However, there is a downside. Gift shops and the duty free store at the airport reportedly nab up to 40% of the profit margin, making it an undesirable location for many in the businesses despite its initial appeal. What’s more, the sale of products to the airport duty free store are dealt with as exports, which further burden designers with more formalities, paperwork and time, regardless of how small the order.
 
One Stop Shop
Unlike in India, China and much of the Far East, travelers to Jordan do not realistically spend more than one or two nights before moving on to Egypt or Israel. With a hectic schedule of “must-see” attractions scattered across the length of the Kingdom, tourists have very little time to hopscotch between different boutiques, galleries and showrooms.

The country lacks a central artists’ district where the wide spectrum of original Jordanian products can be put on display for tourists and locals alike. This one-stop shop model has been adopted by many countries reliant on their tourist sector. For example, the Indian government has quickly latched onto the idea of building craft consortiums in all of its major cities, including Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur. These consortiums, akin to a huge warehouse, allow artists, designers and craftsman the opportunity to exhibit their work for a preset fee, whilst also offering tourists the option of one destination for all their purchases. 

In the hopes of promoting and protecting this fledgling industry, the Greater Amman Municipality should be encouraged to incorporate designs for an artist’s colony within its overall plans for creating a sustainable capital city. However, this will require an intense period of exhaustive lobbying on the part of industry’s key players and those with vested interests. A collective voice for the sector is badly needed, and although steps have been taken by many in the business to rally together their strengths as an industry, their lobbying power has remained inherently weak. “Jordan has no unified handicraft product that is purely representative of Jordanian culture. This is an area the sector must strive to work on if it is to better itself,” observed Nayef Steitieh, CEO of Tatweer, an economic development project funded by USAID, whose main objective is to increase the competitiveness of Jordanian SMEs. The development of an artists’ colony or craft consortium will also have the added effect of curbing high advertising and marketing costs for participating parties. In one of the few private-public partnerships the industry enjoys, the facilitation of advertising and marketing for small and medium enterprises (SME) in the handicraft sector is an area that Tatweer has continuously striven to provide, and it is virtually alone in doing so. 

Homemade Remedies
This divided industry, both in product and producer, has no hope of realizing its truest potential without the steadfast aid and support of the government. SMEs in the handicraft sector must gain access to necessary resources through innovative schemes, including microfinance. Incentive schemes (including tax incentives), increased chances for private-public partnerships, access to the required technology, information, guidance and advice are all areas the government can effectively interject. Moreover, businesses in this sector need to be made aware of the economies of scale that would accrue to their conglomeration and should be encouraged to do so.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities must commit a greater deal of its resources to raising the level of information currently available at tourist centers across the country, and commit to coaching tour guides as to the benefits of working with Jordanian producers as opposed to against them. Handicrafts represent Jordan’s tangible heritage and individualism and, like most art, bring out the soul of its people. With Petra newly becoming one of the New Seven Wonder of the World, there has never been a better time to get behind this industry and show our support.