Earlier in the week, we learned about the Anou cooperative, and today we got to visit a women’s cooperative in Marrakech. When looking at both together, you can see that their main goal is showcasing women’s handmade goods and making sure they are fairly compensated. When we had the discussion about Anou, we learned that by selling goods, women were able to make a living for themselves, which was very similar to the women’s cooperative. In the women’s cooperative, we went to a leather shop and got to hand-make a small leather good. The shop was run by two women, and the women started the shop based at home and then were able to apply to a government program and were, in the end, selected to have a storefront, which I would say is also similar to Anou because they use some outside help from the government and other organizations. While at the women’s cooperative, you could also see how proud the women were of their work and how it showcased every woman’s individual story.
After shopping in both the Souks and the women’s cooperative, I would say that I preferred the women’s cooperative. The main reason is that I liked the wide variety of the souks, you could not always guarantee the quality of the goods, and that the people who were making them received fair compensation. Whereas in the women’s cooperative, you could see them making the products by hand, and they were selling directly to you, so they got paid fairly. The cooperative was very neatly maintained compared to the souks and far less busy, so you could actually concentrate on the goods themselves and craftsmanship, since they were making goods in their stores, without feeling rushed. While it was not easy to haggle since most of the prices were set, it seemed reasonable and not like I was being overpriced for being a tourist, as it felt in the souks. In the souks, I would get quoted very high for a bag and negotiate down, whereas the cooperative had a set price, which was very comparable to what I paid for bags in the souks after negotiating. Additionally, there was something special about the women’s cooperative. You could feel how proud they were of their work, and that created a special meaning to me. It was less about the souvenir and more about the experience. All in all, I would choose the women’s cooperative again and again because the experience meant far more to me than any souvenir could.
