Today we were able to attend the Women’s coop where I was able to handmake a sunglasses holder out of leather. It was very fun however; I did this that I may never finish when I was hole punching the leather by hand and it would not go through. But I was able to finish in the end, and I was able to make a pretty red sunglass holder that I am proud to say I made myself (minus all of the help I got from the women who worked there).

While we were at the Women’s Coup I could not help but notice how similar it was the Anou. They both allow people to see the work from start to finish. The Anou just does the work for you making the rugs and showing you the progress they are making on it. The Women’s Coup lets you create your own item and see how much work really goes into an item. I thought this was a very special experience because it gave me a greater appreciation for all of the work that goes into making a item. The womens coop also sold items, however, unlike the Anou, you did not see how these items were made you could just see them sitting up on the shelf and shop and look at them after finishing creating your own peice.

Personally, as a consumer, I liked the Women’s Coop most. I enjoyed seeing all of the work that goes into creating something firsthand, and it will definitely change the way I see the items in the Souks in the future. However, if I was a person who was not currently in Morocco and was looking for an item to purchase, I would prefer the Anou because I would feel more involved in the construction process of my item.

Overall, I had a lot of fun today, but I am glad to be back in Rabat. I will miss the shower and toilet being separate now that I am back, but I appreciate the lower levels of tourism that is here in Rabat compared to that of Marrakech. See you tomorrow for my next blog. Thanks!

Sarah