Lebanese pottery maker fights to keep traditional craft alive

Описание: (21 Jun 2022) LEBANON POTTERY

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY
LENGTH 8:09
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chouf, Lebanon - 15 June 2022
1. Various of pottery maker Khaled Daw throwing clay and forming jars from clay
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Daw, Pottery Maker:
"My relationship with this craft is more sentimental than it is work. This craft is artistic more than it is functional. This profession has creativity, it has beauty in the work."
3. Various of Daw kneading clay pieces
4. Various of Daw weighing clay
5. Various of Daw stacking smaller pieces of clay
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Daw, Pottery Maker:
"This is what motivates us to be creative and find ways to keep on going. We faced many crises, no doubt, but to be honest, this is the biggest and deepest crisis that Lebanon has faced that I know of since I opened my eyes and until today."
7. Wide of landscape
8. Various of exteriors of Daw's pottery workshop
9. Various set-up shots of former potter maker Tawfic Jaafar - who currently manages Daw's pool outside
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Tawfic Jaafar, former pottery maker: ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++
"We asked schools back in the 70's and 80's. I used to ask schools to come and learn the craft. I asked families in the our villages to come and learn it for free so this craft wouldn't go extinct. This is our tradition and as Khaled said we communicate with the clay and sand. It makes you forget your worries. The clay is our reference. At the end we will return to the clay."
9. Various of pottery in workshop
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Daw, Pottery Maker:
"We have had our customers for decades. They are also struggling to continue. We are trying to continue together. We are cooperating all together for this craft to remain. Because this craft is suffering from extinction. Extinction in Lebanon, by all means."
11. Pan of landscape, surrounding mountains
12. Various of Daw throwing wood in an outdoor oven
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Daw, Pottery Maker: (standing next to oven)
"This is a new oven that I built to burn wood. Similar to the way our ancestors worked. Fuel is very expensive now. Economically, it is no longer a winning equation. So I built this wood oven. We will see if we will be able to continue with this method, or we will have to close down for sure."
14. Oven
15. Various of Daw standing by the oven
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Daw, pottery maker (indoors)
"Up until 1958, or the end of the 50's. There were around 55 artisans who work with this craft. Everyone worked well and managed to export. Slowly, the numbers went down and now in this region (Chouf region in Lebanon) that had 55 workshops or more, we are only two people. After I leave this craft, I have no one to pass it down to. I don't know if the other person has anyone to pass the craft to. Anyway, this is a proof that the craft is heading to extinction."
17. Various of Daw's farm outside his workshop
18. Daw picking mint
19. Pan of organic plants and vegetables grown by Daw
20. Various of Daw testing the clay density in the pool to see if it is ready to use
21. Daw next to the clay pool. UPSOUND (Arabic) Khaled Daw, Pottery Maker:
"This pool usually holds between 15 to 17 tonnes of clay."
22. Wide of pool and mountain behind
23. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khaled Daw, Pottery Maker:
24. Wide of Daw making pottery
25. Pull-focus from Daw washing his hands after finishing to pottery in foreground
LEAD-IN:
A Lebanese traditional potter is fighting to keep a traditional craft alive.
STORYLINE:
The traditional craft of pottery can be traced back thousands of years ago to the Phoenicians.
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