Libya Traditional Jewelery Hangs on by Silver Thread

A Libyan woman crafts a piece of traditional filigree jewelry. Mahmud Turkia AFP
A Libyan woman crafts a piece of traditional filigree jewelry. Mahmud Turkia AFP
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Libya Traditional Jewelery Hangs on by Silver Thread

A Libyan woman crafts a piece of traditional filigree jewelry. Mahmud Turkia AFP
A Libyan woman crafts a piece of traditional filigree jewelry. Mahmud Turkia AFP

n Tripoli's Old City, young Libyans weave delicate patterns with threads of silver and gold to create traditional filigree jewelry -- reviving an art almost lost through decades of dictatorship and war.

Abdelmajid Zeglam is just 12 years old, but his minutely detailed creations are already selling fast in the streets around a Roman-era archway dedicated to emperor Marcus Aurelius, AFP said.

"I hesitated at first for fear of failing because I'm young, but my mum encouraged me," Zeglam said.

He is the youngest of 20 or so students, around half of them female, studying at the Libyan Academy for Traditional Gold and Silver Crafts, in a building that once served as a French consulate to the Ottoman Empire.

Trainees learn about precious metal alloys before studying the art of filigree, in which beads and threads of the precious materials are woven into intricate designs then soldered together to create jewelry.

"I love it," Zeglam said. "I want to become a petroleum engineer in the mornings and a jeweler in the afternoons."

Mohamed al-Miloudi, a 22-year-old civil engineering student in a baseball cap, said he had not missed a class since signing up in September.

"It's a hobby, but I'd like to make it into my trade," he said.

The institute's founder, Abdelnasser Aboughress, said filigree jewelry was an ancient tradition in the North African country.

"Craftsmen in the medina of Tripoli were trained by Jewish masters and later by Arabs, at the prestigious School of Arts and Trades" founded in the late 19th century, he said.

- Secret jewelers -
But generations of tradition were abruptly halted after Moamer Kadhafi took power in a 1969 coup.

The capricious ruler scrapped the constitution and established his "jamahiriya" -- a medley of socialism, Arab nationalism and tribal patronage.

He also scrapped the private sector, seizing companies and confiscating their assets.

Overnight, self-employed artisans lost everything: their workshops, their livelihoods and their students.

"The state reduced Libyan crafts to nothing and forced a generation of young apprentices, who should have taken up the baton, to instead leave the traditional crafts and join the army" or become civil servants, said Aboughress.

The 55-year-old was born just a few streets away in the medina, and despite Kadhafi's ban, he took up the craft at the age of 15.

Along with his father, for decades he worked in secret on jewelry for trusted clients.

Now, he hopes to pass the craft on to younger generations, as well as fighting back against a tide of "lower-quality jewelry imported from Egypt and China (which) has flooded the market".

Aboughress is working on a project to document and preserve as much of this cultural heritage as possible.

- 'People with passion' -
Student Fatima Boussoua hit out at the practice of selling old Libyan silver jewelry at cheap prices to be exported then melted down.

"It's part of Libya's artisanal heritage that's disappearing!" she said.

A dentist in her 40s who also teaches at the University of Tripoli, Boussoua has been training at the center for the past year, hoping to master the craft.

"We should be training artists to preserve our heritage," she said. "All it needs is people with passion."

While becoming a true expert takes years of training, Aboughress's students are already producing works for sale online or at the center itself.

That said, he admits the project needs financial help to buy the expensive raw materials -- as well as "moral support".

He hopes that with enough resources, he will one day be able to set up a string of other workshops across Libya.

"It's time to bring this craft back to life," he said.



'Treasure Hunt': Tourists Boost Sales at Japan's Don Quijote Stores

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP
Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP
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'Treasure Hunt': Tourists Boost Sales at Japan's Don Quijote Stores

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP
Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from nostril-hair wax to compact gadgets and colorful party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists but also inflation at home.

At a large Don Quijote store in Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district, hundreds of tourists rush to fill their baskets with snacks and souvenirs from its heaving narrow aisles.

"I was pretty overwhelmed at first, just because there's so many options, everything's in a different language," 27-year-old Garett Bryan from the United States told AFP.

But "I feel like I bought a lot and it was only like $70" including "a coffee cup for my mom, a fan, some Godzilla chopsticks, just a couple toys".

The chaotic cut-price shops nicknamed "Donki" were founded in the 1980s by Takao Yasuda, who named them after his business inspiration: the idealistic protagonist of the classic Spanish novel, "Don Quixote".

He wanted to shake up Japan's staid retail industry with new tactics including late-night opening hours as well as more varied prices and product lines.

Now a record influx of visitors to Japan, fueled by a weak yen, is boosting sales nationwide.

Revenues at Don Quijote in Japan are "around 1.7 higher than before the pandemic", said Motoki Hata, a manager at the retailer.

Last year its parent firm Pan Pacific International Holdings (PPIH) saw revenue rise around 12 percent year-on-year for its discount chains including Donki, while tax-free sales beat internal forecasts.

Shopping at Don Quijote is like a "treasure hunt" -- a fun experience that foreign visitors love, Hata told AFP.

"Customers end up buying something different than what they came in for," he said beside rows of cherry-blossom flavor KitKats, a popular exclusive product.

- 'Jungle'-like -

Don Quijote and its sister brands have 501 stores in Japan, where 24 new ones opened during the past financial year.

PPIH Group also runs 110 stores abroad, in the United States and across Asia from Taiwan to Thailand.

California is one place being targeted by the company for expansion, according to analyst Paul Kraft, founder of Tokyo-based consultancy firm JapanIQ.

But that plan could be complicated by US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs -- including levies of 24 percent on Japan, which have been paused until July.

Even so, "I wouldn't bet against them, even in this entire high-tariff environment", Kraft said.

"Nobody adjusts as fast as Don Quijote in retail in Japan -- even faster than convenience stores, because they give so much autonomy to their stores."

They are also "some of the smartest and most aggressive buyers that I've seen", with consistently "the best selection of almost anything".

However, in Japan at least, the shopping experience is "cramped, dark, you know, the buildings might be old" with products seemingly "hanging from everywhere".

Don Quijote's omnipresent Santa-hat wearing penguin mascot Donpen and its "Don Don Donki" jingle on repeat just adds to the "jungle"-like experience.

"It is just almost an assault on the senses," Kraft said.

- Inflation hits -

Still, Don Quijote "has grown to be an extremely important retailer in Japan", Kraft said -- especially as rising inflation ramps up demand for cheaper products.

The country's core inflation rate accelerated to 3.2 percent in March, with consumers feeling the pinch on electricity bills as well as kitchen staples like cabbage and rice.

Household consumption fell 1.1 percent in 2024, with some people making the trip to Don Quijote to save.

"It's less expensive than other shops, and they also have famous brands," said a Tokyo resident who shops at the store twice a week and gave her surname as Kuroki.

Shoji Raku, 20, told AFP she shops at Donki for "shampoo, electronics and everything that you don't find elsewhere".

There is even usually a cordoned off adults-only section at Donki stores selling various sex toys.

Tourist sales remain a key focus for the chain, which plans to open two new stores targeted at visitors in Japan next year, centered on duty-free products.

But one Donki customer, Bruno Bosi from Brazil, said shoppers should tread with caution.

"It is a store for you to buy as much as you want -- but I think you need to ask yourself if you need it," he said.