Today we visited the women’s cooperative, where I had the opportunity to hand make a leather sunglasses holder. The process was a lot of fun, although there were definitely moments when I thought I had messed it all up, especially when cutting the leather wrong and running out of thread. Thankfully, with plenty of help from the women working there, I was eventually able to complete a hot pink sunglasses holder that I am proud to say I made myself. I enjoying walking around the women’s cooperative and watching all the cats walk by. I bought a gold keychain for my purse from the cooperative, and took many photos of the garden.

While visiting the cooperative, I noticed many similarities between it and Anou. Both give people insight into the process behind handmade products and allow consumers to appreciate the craftsmanship involved. With Anou, artisans create the rugs while customers are able to follow the progress and understand the story behind the product. At the women’s cooperative, however, visitors are able to participate directly by creating something themselves. This hands-on experience made me realize how much time, patience, and effort go into making even a small item. The cooperative also sold handmade products in its shop, but unlike Anou, customers did not get to see those specific items being created and instead viewed them only as finished products on display.

As a consumer, I personally preferred the women’s cooperative because I enjoyed experiencing the work firsthand. Making my own item gave me a much greater appreciation for the craftsmanship behind the products sold in the souks and markets throughout Morocco. At the same time, if I were shopping from outside of Morocco, I would probably prefer Anou because it creates a stronger connection between the consumer and the artisan through updates and visibility into the production process. Thats all!