Areguà

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Areguá is a crafts city located on the shores of Lake Ypacarai and 30 km from Asunción. Although principally renowned for producing pottery, the city also offers a great range of popular arts including music and dance. Home to over 450 pottery workshops, Areguá is regarded as one of the three key pottery cities of Paraguay. Due to its Urban Cultural Heritage, Areguá was recognised as a national Cultural Heritage site in 1997.

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Ayacucho

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Founded in 1539, Ayacucho is known as the “Capital City of Folk Art and Peruvian Craftsmanship.” This Andean city fosters cultural diversity and artistic creativity, developing 16 types of crafts, including retablo, tapestry, Huamanga stone carving, pottery, textiles, and embroidery.

Ayacucho’s local crafts and folk art are celebrated during festivals like Easter and Carnival, which blend music, cinema, theatre, and dance. Events such as the First Regional Meeting of Craftsmen in 2019 aim to promote growth by addressing issues in the industry.

The city also supports crafts through a symposium that led to the creation of a folk art museum, interpretation centers, and a dedicated budget. Ayacucho aims to improve the handicraft sector, promote crafts in local and international markets, teach folk art in schools, recover its cultural heritage, and provide youth internships in partnership with local universities.

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Bamiyan

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

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Cairo

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Cairo, the capital city of Egypt, is the largest metropolitan area in the Middle East and has long been a major cultural hub. Known for its rich craftsmanship, the city’s historic center features neighborhoods named after various craft practices. The local creative economy heavily relies on the crafts and folk art sector, which represents 80% of its cultural activities.

Communities in the historic center support crafts by establishing guilds for pottery, glassblowing, coppersmithing, ceramics, and jewelry. Cairo organizes events like the Diarna Fair and the Heritage Forum to promote craft heritage and raise awareness of the creative sector. The International Festival of Drums and Traditional Arts showcases traditional folk art and music. To revive the inactive historic center, the Urban Regeneration Project identifies culture and creativity as key elements for restoration. Cairo aims to strengthen artisans’ skills, create a multipurpose urban square for craft exhibitions, repurpose public buildings as Community Craft Centres, and engage in partnerships for professional development within the cultural sector.

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Hoi An

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2023

City presentation

Hội An, located in Central Vietnam, is a beautiful city with an ancient town recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999; Chàm Islands – Hội An was recognized as a World Biosphere Reserve in 2009; and the art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam, effectively practiced in Hội An, was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. In 2023, Hội An joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Folk Art.

Hội An’s intrinsic strength is the resonance of work, creativity, indigenous cultural values and the absorption of the quintessence from countries that have come to trade over the long periods. From experts, artists, intellectuals to workers, farmers, etc.; from indigenous communities to individuals from other places; they have all brought together the essence of labor, innovation and the determination to create a source of creativity for this land.

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Jacmel

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2014

City presentation

Jacmel, known for its rich heritage and vibrant carnival, takes pride in its history as a hospitable trading port. Following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, the city has focused on preserving its invaluable tangible and intangible heritage.
Jacmel promotes culture, traditions, art, and crafts, with the Carnival of Jacmel serving as a key driver of creative development through its deep-rooted local traditions in painting, sculpture, and papier-mâché. This event attracts thousands of visitors each year and emphasizes the importance of revitalizing Haiti’s cultural heritage. The “Destination Jacmel” initiative aims to restore and protect the historic center to enhance cultural tourism and preserve traditions for future generations. With artistic figures like painter Préfètte Duffaut and writer René Depestre, Jacmel embodies the motto “Jacmel, Sursum corda!”—a call to rise and celebrate its creative spirit.

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João Pessoa

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

João Pessoa is the capital of Paraíba, in the northeast of Brazil. The third oldest city in the country, founded in 1585, it is also known as the “Gateway to the Sun” because it is located on the easternmost point of the Americas. A UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017, it has been implementing various initiatives aimed at incorporating the concepts of creativity and innovation, as well as the transversality of segments, fostering the local economy and meeting the commitments made when the municipality joined the UCCN.

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Lubumbashi

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

Lubumbashi, the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a population of 1.7 million, is located in the Copperbelt mining region. Historically reliant on copper and malachite industries, the city aims to revitalize its development by leveraging creativity to celebrate its industrial legacy.

With over 50 workshops focused on malachite carving, Lubumbashi’s policies prioritize this trade as a means to stimulate employment. Artistic expressions stemming from local copper miners, such as street performance and music genres like karindula, enrich the city’s cultural identity.
The Copper Eaters Festival, celebrating artisan work for 15 years, and the Picha Encounters, an innovative visual arts biennale, underscore Lubumbashi’s commitment to cultural vitality. Although much of the cultural landscape has developed informally, the Municipality seeks to create a comprehensive policy framework to support cultural organizations and creative industries, aiming for sustainable urban renewal through creativity.

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Ouagadougou

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, is a political, administrative, and cultural hub with a population of 2 million, housing over 80% of the central region’s inhabitants. The city has a rich tradition of bronze-working, particularly in the Niongsin neighborhood, where it originated through the expertise of three major families specializing in lost wax casting. This craft has evolved to become a primary source of income for many families and significantly impacts the local economy, employing 13% of informal sector workers across 375 businesses. Various training centers, such as the National Centre for Arts and Crafts and the Craft Village, ensure the transmission of this artisanal knowledge.
The city also hosts two major cultural events, the Ouagadougou International Craft Fair and the Pan-African Cinema and Television Festival. The municipal government actively supports local cultural industries by improving working conditions and promoting the bronze craft through initiatives like the Bronze Display.

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Surakarta

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2023

City presentation

Surakarta, a city rich in cultural assets and a vibrant creative economy, boasts 387 ateliers and 1,081 artists across various artistic disciplines, including music, dance, theater, painting, and sculpture. The city’s commitment to nurturing talent is evident through established training spaces for crafts and folk arts. Since 1910, Surakarta has organized folk art performances, notably the Wayang Orang Opera, at the Sriwedari Wayang Orang Building, making it a hub for folk art. Neighborhood pavilions facilitate regular training and performances, while larger venues host grand productions like the Ramayana Dance Drama.

Renowned for its traditional batik textile production, Surakarta is home to 192 batik workshops and two significant batik villages. The government supports this creative sector by providing instruments for local music activities. Rooted in the history of the Mataram kingdom, Surakarta maintains strong ties to Javanese culture, thriving in performing arts, crafts, culinary, and fashion, despite pandemic challenges. Between 2020 and 2022, the city hosted 84 creative economy events and plans at least 48 for 2023.

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Tambasasayama

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

Located in Japan’s Hyōgo region, Tambasasayama is renowned for its rich diversity of over 4,700 crafts and folk art expressions, most notably tanba-yaki pottery. This ancient craft, passed down for over eight centuries, is one of Japan’s “Six Old Kilns” and remains a source of local pride. The Tanba-yaki Pottery Festival, held annually at the Museum of Ceramic Art, attracts over 140,000 visitors worldwide, showcasing the best of this pottery. Tambasasayama also hosts the Dekancho Festival, celebrating the traditional bon-odori folk dance.

To support its crafts sector, the city has implemented various training programs and cooperative associations, promoting sustainable urban development. As a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, Tambasasayama aims to pass on tanba-yaki skills to future artisans, establish a school for innovation, foster artistic exchanges, and strengthen ties with other Creative Cities to explore connections between crafts and gastronomy.

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Trinidad

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Trinidad, located on the southern coast of Santi Spíritus, Cuba, boasts a rich history of craftsmanship, especially in fiber fabrics, which continues to be a vital source of income for its residents, generating nearly US$500,000 annually. Local craft traditions are passed down through generations and preserved within homes. The city organizes numerous exhibitions, fairs, and seasonal markets, offering artisans platforms to display their work, such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day events. Permanent exhibitions, like those by artists Magalis Ramírez and Lucía Jiménez, also invite public interaction and offer summer courses.

Trinidad’s handicrafts sector aligns with Goal 8 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focusing on gender equality by promoting female artisans. Craft schools and workshops, as well as the School of Trades of Restoration, teach traditional techniques and introduce new technologies, while helping marginalized youth enhance their skills and integrate into the city’s social fabric.

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