E fundit!

22:51 TODAY

Businessman Artur Shehu breaks his silence: I am a long-time land owner in Zvërnec, I don't know the investors at all

Albanian businessman Artur Shehu spoke on the Opinion show...

"Threads of the tradition of the loom artisan"/ Rovena Hasankolli: What I could not inherit from the family, I want to leave to my daughter

2024-09-22 20:00:00, Kulturë Rovena Kallco

"Threads of the tradition of the loom artisan"/ Rovena Hasankolli:

From the outside, it looked like a glass case where a cultural heritage was fragile inside. Located in the center of the Korça Market, this small workshop is a reflection of dedication, beauty and passion that knows no fatigue.

Rovena Hasankolli is a 45-year-old woman born and raised in the village of Floq in the city of Korça. Surrounded by carpets of various colors and designs, Rovena sits at her loom.

The work did not tire her, on the contrary, as she herself says, this work has given her the desired peace. It wasn't long before he started working in a family business that deals with the production and trade of handicrafts, especially carpets.

"When I saw the announcement that they were looking for artisans to make carpets, I was happy. I have done other jobs before, jobs done out of necessity, not out of pleasure. This is the work I love, it does not tire me at all, on the contrary, I have found peace here. I will continue to practice it until I have breath."

Raised in a family in a rural area, Rovena knows very well the traditions and customs of the Korça area. Although not a family tradition, fate or chance led Rovena's sister to this old craft. Started as a child's game by her and her sister, little did Rovena know that this craft would turn into her life's work.

"I often saw my sister going to the neighbor's house, and my curiosity pushed me to go with her. At first, I started it as a game, I wanted to wash with the woven pegs of the loom. Later, I wanted to make my own carpet, like my sister, from good hands."

After every word she heard the sound of the loom being pulled, which tightened the pegs, gave structure and resistance to the product. Rovena says that she first sat on this device when she was 13 years old.

"I touched the pegs and the loom tool for the first time when I was 13 years old, and I made my first rug when I was 14 years old."

The tradition of Korça is that girls receive a dowry when they go to their husband's house, so many Korça girls did all the work for their dowry themselves.

Rovena reveals that in addition to the carpets she made for her girlish home, she worked hard to complete her dowry.

"We, the girls of our area, have always had a generational tradition of making our own dowry. Now times have changed, these traditions are no longer preferred by young girls."

Since her and her sister's marriage, Rovena sadly shows that the loom in her parents' house in Floq is no longer in use.

"My eyes fill with tears when I go to Floq and see the tool divided into parts thrown away in the dark basement of the house. With my and my sister's marriage, that gadget was never put to work again, it 'grew old' in solitude in the basement."

As she talks about her passion, Rowena's eyes fill with tears when she says that the long hours with her back bent in front of the loom since the age of 14 and the fatigue of the years of work, "doze" silently in the closets of her house.

"My soul broke when I saw them folded and placed on top of each other in the closet. Since I brought them to this day, I have never seen them placed in the house. Times have changed, they are no longer preferred. I am sorry to see them discarded and thrown away as worthless, I am tired until I have taken them out of my hands."

Raised by two hard-working, tireless parents who were engaged in livestock and agriculture, the artisan shows her worries that have weighed on her shoulders over the years.

"Father really wanted me and my sister to open our own loom workshop. Her heart sank when she saw me and my sister sitting and exchanging colored woolen skeins to make rugs. I have not been able to fulfill his wish, neither I nor my sister. I was afraid that maybe it wouldn't work for me and I would be disappointed. But at least I managed to make him happy now that I have started to practice this old craft again."

Mother of two children, a 20-year-old son and an 18-year-old daughter, like other artisans, Rovena says that she wants to pass on this old craft to her daughter.

"I would be the happiest in the world if my daughter could also learn the craft I have. It is something precious, it is a beautiful craft that requires nothing but passion. The girl has come to my workshop several times, she wants to see me when I work. I sat him on the stalls, I taught him some techniques. The girl likes it very much, but it seems difficult. However, one way or another I have to inherit this craft, I will not let it disappear, not only from my family tree, but also from the tradition of our city."

Rovena Hasankolli is a worthy example of a young woman who fanatically seeks to inherit this centuries-old craft in future generations./ CNA