Porto-Novo

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Porto-Novo, Benin’s capital with a population of 300,000, has a unique cultural identity shaped by its colonial past and diverse migratory influences. The city is known for its rich artisanal traditions, organized into 42 craft guilds, with families specializing in crafts like blacksmithing, pottery, and musical instrument making. Artists and artisans, particularly women, play a crucial role in shaping the city’s sustainable development.
Porto-Novo hosts cultural events like the International Festival of Arts and Culture and Urban Outbreak Festival-Workshops, which showcase contemporary art and urban renovation. The city aims to further strengthen the role of culture in urban planning, foster regional and international cooperation, and enhance youth training in crafts and folk art. Through these efforts, Porto-Novo seeks to position itself as a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, making culture a key driver for human and urban development.

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San Cristóbal de las Casas

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

San Cristóbal de las Casas, located in Chiapas, Mexico, has a population of 186,000, with a strong presence of indigenous communities who contribute significantly to the city’s crafts and folk art sector. This sector is the main driver of the local economy, with traditional crafts like blacksmithing, pottery, woodcarving, amber jewellery, and embroidery showcased across ten neighbourhoods.

Deeply connected to ancestral traditions, crafts foster social cohesion and intercultural dialogue. The city’s long-standing Spring Fair and Peace, held every April, celebrates local art and empowers indigenous women. In 2012, San Cristóbal launched the Maya World Textile AC Centre, benefiting 800 artisans from 30 indigenous communities, becoming a national model for promoting and protecting crafts.

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Tétouan

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

With a population of 400,000, Tétouan is Morocco’s second-largest economic hub in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region. The city’s craft traditions date back to its 15th-century founding, and its urban planning reflects its craftsmanship, with specialized craft neighborhoods for Zellige, Taajira embroidery, and wood and ironwork. Drawing from its Arab-Andalusian heritage, Tétouan’s arts and crafts are known for their masterful craftsmanship, supported by nearly 6,000 craft units and 150 young artisans entering the market annually.

Crafts in Tétouan play a significant role in community-building and contribute to the local economy. Events like the Rencontres des Artisans and the Marché au fil du temps, held alongside the Women’s Voices International Music Festival, showcase local artisans, particularly women. Tétouan’s Urban Development Programme and Regional Development Plan have upgraded community spaces, modernized craft infrastructure, and supported the federation of craft guilds to promote networking and training opportunities.

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Tunis

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Tunis, the capital of Tunisia since the 13th century, is home to 638,850 inhabitants and boasts a rich cultural and historical legacy. Positioned strategically in the Mediterranean and at the crossroads of trans-Saharan trade routes, it has long been a trade and cultural hub. The Medina of Tunis, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, is a living symbol of 18th-century urban planning and a center for craft creation, with about forty souks showcasing artisans’ work.

Key cultural events in Tunis include the Salon de l’Artisanat, Tunisia’s most popular crafts fair, attracting 140,000 visitors in 2017, and the Medina Festival, launched in 1982, celebrating the city’s heritage. Since 2000, the Municipality and the Association for the Protection of the Tunis Medina (ASM) have spearheaded efforts to rehabilitate slum areas, restore historic buildings, and revitalize the city’s traditional urban landscape, involving both residents and artisans in the process to promote and preserve craft professions.

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Viljandi

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Viljandi, a city of 17,400 inhabitants, boasts a rich cultural landscape, highlighted by the Tartu University Viljandi Culture Academy, which specializes in native crafts. The city is home to 2,780 registered enterprises, with 738 linked to creative fields, contributing significantly to the local economy and providing social benefits. Key industries include blacksmithing, ceramics, and Estonia’s only prototyping wool mill.

Viljandi celebrates its crafts heritage through the Estonian Traditional Music Centre, hosting the annual Viljandi Folk Music Festival, which attracts over 20,000 visitors. Since 2014, the city has also organized the Craft Camp Estonia, promoting traditional handicraft techniques and blending old and new methods. To support the creative sector, Viljandi provides financial stipends to local artists and craftspeople, enabling them to focus on their work and promote their creations while preserving national culture.

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Weifang

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2021

City presentation

Weifang, known as the birthplace of the kite and a hub of crafts and creativity, has a rich history dating back 2,400 years. By the 5th and 6th centuries, it emerged as a center for Buddha statue making, and since the 18th century, it has been recognized as a crafts capital in northern China. The city is famous for various art forms, including kites, Chinese New Year paintings, papercutting, peach pit carving, and silver inlaid painting. Embracing both tradition and innovation, Weifang has hosted 38 International Kite Festivals, fostering cultural and economic exchanges with over 110 countries.

With over 1,800 craft workshops employing around 100,000 people, including 40,000 women, the city’s cultural industries generated USD 3.56 billion in GDP in 2020. As a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, Weifang aims to promote research in crafts, create jobs, nurture emerging cultural industries, and enhance international collaboration.

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