Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:
Training courses are developed to improve the different profiles in which handicrafts are grouped, ranging from the oldest techniques to the incorporation of new techniques and knowledge of general culture in the fields of art history, design, drawing, languages, ICTs; as well as in the search for new working tools to achieve a higher level in the results of creation. As complementary actions, the exchange with counterparts in other countries and the use of national materials in the production of functional handicraft objects are promoted.
What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the measure/initiative?:
The participation of craftspeople and other sectors of society, especially the age groups of youth and the elderly, in the knowledge and learning of craft techniques and other skills has increased. As a result, many of the participants find crafts to be a source of work and personal sustainability. This process is carried out with the aim of ensuring the durability of this trade and its necessary renewal according to the present times. As an example of the promotion of the use of native Cuban raw materials, the production of furniture and other objects for domestic use has been encouraged, using different types of raffia, such as the guaniquiqui (trichostigmaoctrandrum).
In line with the work for sustainability and income generation in terms of exports, the production and marketing of the handmade cigar conservation box, a product that is internationally recognized as an element of Cuban national identity, has been promoted.
In cities such as Trinidad, as a result of a special plan of attention carried out by the partnership with the Cuban Fund for Cultural Goods, exchange actions have been developed with both Cuban and foreign craftspeople and experts, in order to strengthen the practice of crafts as a trade and the use of recyclable and sustainable materials. In recognition of the development that crafts have achieved in this city and its favorable impact on the social and economic level, it was granted, in 2018, the status of Crafts City by the World Crafts Council and was declared Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2019.