Djerba_ Tunisia
By Mustafa J. Salem
Many people think that most traditional silversmiths who craft ethnic jewellery have disappeared over time and that modern mechanical techniques have replaced the old traditional handcrafts. It seems that this is not so on Djerba Island – Tunisia. On this small island in southern Tunisia a young generation of well-trained silversmiths are learning their parents’ skills from an early age. Abdou Rahim, who will turn nineteen in a few months’time is one of this young generation of highly skilled silversmiths on the island of Djerba. From the age of fourteen, Abdou Rahim was encouraged by his father, who owns a jewellery shop in SuqArRuba in Homet as Suq, to be trained by an older generation of silversmith and so learn the techniques firsthand and develop the skills to become an expert in the art of filigree. Abdou Rahim left school at an early age, while several of his peers joined a local technical school on the island to learn the modern techniques of working with metals and gain a diploma. He says that his master was not only an expert in hand crafting silver but also was very patient and generous in sharing his expertise with Abdou Rahim as an adolescent trainee.
Now almost four years since he started to learn how to work with silver, Abdou Rahim has his own space to work, mainly on local filigree designs that are in demand. He says that while training he was offered free tuition and even some pocket money, which was gradually increased as he advanced in his learning, and so becoming a useful assistant to his master, while he was practicing “learning by doing “. As the jewellery market is highly competitive, and with the current economic situation, some of Abdou Rahim’s young colleagues have left the country for Europe in search of better opportunities. He thinks that they may end up taking jobs other than working with metal ‘silversmithing’. He, however, is very interested in his work and wants to develop his skills by working on techniques other than filigree and to increase his capital so that he can create and sell his own jewellery designs rather than wait for orders or be employed as a craftsman. The challenge he sees for this industry is the fact that it requires a lot of concentration and precision, hence it is time consuming. With the low price of silver compared to gold, he thinks that it is uneconomic to put in all the hard work on silver and then for the finished items to be sold at low prices. He hopes that someday he will be able do gold filigree work where labour charges are more realistic. However, the high price of gold makes it difficult to market enough items to be economic. One other challenge he sees for young people in this industry is raising the capital needed to start a small business. While a workplace needs only a few basic tools and a desk to work on, the silversmith has to have enough money to buy the raw material, namely ‘silver’ to start his business. It is worth noting that the new Djerba silver that is offered today in the market retains some of the old ethnic traditional silver symbols. In addition to the traditional “Shariya”, the items also show the ‘khamsa’, the crescent, the fish and the star. It is fortunate that some talented younger generation experts, such as Abdou Rahim, are continuing the tradition of hand-crafted techniques, thus ensuring that they will be handed down to future generations.
“ Most of the items in the following pictures were crafted by Abdou Rahim. Note that the khamsa, the crescent, the fish and the star are well represented in the new items.“
