With the aim of putting the institutions at the service of the creative communities, this Thursday at the Casa Miguel Alemán of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex, the Secretary of Culture, Alejandra Frausto Guerrero, inaugurated the first edition of Original. Meeting of Mexican textile art.
From November 18 to 21, teachers from the country, traditional designers and Mexican and foreign companies; In addition to managers, promoters and researchers, they gather around the richness and diversity of Mexican artisan creations and textiles, to exchange ideas, actions and projects in favor of the recognition of collective cultural rights, as well as the defense and strengthening of the cultural heritage of native communities.
The activities agenda includes roundtables for reflection and debate, keynote lectures and stage proposals; coupled with business rooms, exhibition and sale of artisan products. At the same time, catwalks will be held in which the original and unpublished work of new designers, master craftsmen and brands that collaborate with the communities will be shown.
In defense of living heritage
At the opening ceremony, the secretary Alejandra Frausto He affirmed that Original “is a diverse and inclusive movement where all together we can weave in the immense canvas that is the culture, the infinite and sacred civilizations of Mexico.”
He added that Original is built for the defense of the heritage of the living cultures of Mexico, and to find ethical mechanisms, of collaboration among them, with private companies and other cultural and creative agents of Mexico and the world, always hand in hand with the communities. .
Original builds bridges for creators to speak from their communities to the world, to designers from you to you, with the deep meaning of each creation, not out of romanticism or paternalism, but with respect, with ethics ”.
In his opportunity, the master craftsman Samuel García, from Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo, stated: “Today we want to raise our voices all the artisans and say enough, enough that our culture is stolen, that it is taken from our hands. Enough that we are not recognized for the effort that we have defended for many years, hopefully this event will help us open all those doors that we all need as artisans ”.
In turn, Aurelia Gómez, an artisan from Tlahuitoltepec, Oaxaca, said that this is a space for people to know and directly acquire creators. He also thanked the organizers “for taking the time to get together with all the artisans, who show our uses and customs.”
The general coordinator of Social Communication and Spokesperson for the Government of the Republic, Jesús Ramírez Cuevas, affirmed that artisans are guardians of the tradition of the people. Within the framework of the 500 years of indigenous resistance, he said: “We are also celebrating cultural defense, because the fight against colonization is also a fight for the defense of colors, for dance, for music and the languages of our original peoples of oppression and of ignoring the cultural value that they represent for the world and for Mexico ”.
Through a video, the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, highlighted Original as an initiative that makes the original art of the communities visible and puts the original art of the communities at the center of public attention. “It is a strategic line and a policy of the current government, headed by the president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to defend the cultural textile creation of our communities and of the different regions of Mexico, this will, in the short term, allow said communities, creators and creators, to present their work, be in the market and therefore have the protection legal to their creations, their ideas and their developments ”.
In due course, the head of the Tax Administration Service, Rachel Buenrostro, highlighted the importance of initiatives like this one that, in addition to helping to preserve the memory and national identity, allow promoting fair trade strategies.
For her part, the general director of the National Fund for the Promotion of Handicrafts, Emma Yanes Rizo, stressed that unfortunately handcrafted pieces are not valued despite their beauty and importance, so Original is an opportunity to get to know them.
Senator Susana Harp affirmed: “From this meeting there will surely come out public policies that do serve us, that do benefit our communities, our artisans and artisans with those magic hands that really need the accompaniment to close the production and sale circles”, and announced that the work carried out with the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Copyright will bear fruit, with the approval and publication of what will be known as the Federal Law for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples and Communities, “A big law, an umbrella law, a law with teeth”, for the defense of collective rights.
With this first meeting, the Secretary of Culture Federal seeks for Original to position itself as a pedagogical space where respect for the textile creations of indigenous peoples, peasants and Afro-descendants of Mexico is promoted. Likewise, contribute to changing the rules of the fashion and design industry and orient its practices towards fair trade, ethical exchange, sustainability and recognition among equals.
Scheduled activities
During the forums, issues related to plagiarism suffered by certain communities of artisan tradition will be addressed; resistance actions by indigenous peoples to assert their cultural rights; new designs from tradition; the recognition of collective rights; fair trade; sustainability and preservation models; the challenges of the formalization of artisan work; and creativity and the future value of the handmade, among other topics.
Seven catwalks will be held at Casa Miguel Alemán, with pieces designed by master craftsmen, new designers and brands that work with communities. In this first edition, 200 textile artisans of accessories and shawls from the country will parade, representing more than 30 creative communities in Mexico, in which their lyrical and poetic traditions will be exalted. These pieces, in addition to other items, will be put on display and sale in the so-called Atelier Original.
In the case of the Business Hall, there will be meetings between the brands, stores and commercial spaces, and the artisans and representatives of the communities to reach fair and ethical agreements. Participants will have support and legal, technical, commercial advice and translation services to carry out possible transactions, as well as to have meetings that result in various compensation and cooperation schemes.
The richness and beauty of traditional Mexican art in supports such as ceramics, clay, stone, wood, vegetable fibers and various textiles will also have a space in which it can be appreciated in around 500 exhibited pieces. At the same time, in another area, the artisans will offer attendees pieces to be acquired for direct sale over three weekends: from November 18 to 21; from November 25 to 28; and from December 2 to 5.
The Los Pinos Cultural Complex is located in Parque Lira s / n, San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood, I Section, Mexico City. The entrance will be free, following the protocols for health care. The complete program of this meeting can be consulted on the networks of the Ministry of Culture, on Twitter @culture_mx, Facebook / SecretariaCulturaMX and Instagram @culturamx and on the page https: //original.cultura.gob.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx