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Traveling Through with David Prior · Thursday, July 30, 2026

Moroccan Basketry: Tradition and Tourist Market

Needleman discusses her current project focusing on Moroccan basketry, specifically Berber (Amazigh) traditions. She notes the distinction between tourist-oriented souk crafts and the more traditional, functional items still made by indigenous communities.

The tape

3 quotes
Yeah, So I've been asked by a friend of our to do a show on Moroccan basketry Berber basketry at the Ysel Museum in Marrakesh.
Speaker 2
Basically, what we see in the Souk is kind of in one way it's the death of Moroccan basketry because they are objects that are completely made for us as tourists. But on the other hand, it's a way that the tradition is still living because there is a market for it.
Speaker 2
And what I was hoping to find and did find are these pockets of places where people are still making for themselves and for their own use.
Speaker 2
Heard on Traveling Through with David Prior — “Deborah Needleman on Handmade Beauty and Going to the Source, published Thursday, July 30, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.
Transcribed via publisher transcript · $0.00
Moroccan Basketry: Tradition and Tourist Market — Heardvine