Goa’s artisans are talented; their craftsmanship needs to be better promoted
On the weekend, Goa saw the curtains come down on the yearly folk festival, Lokotsav 2025, held from Jan 17 to 26. Held at the Darya Sangam, the lawns of the Kala Academy, there were some 600 artistes, who presented folk dances and various music forms, officials stated. Besides the performing artistes, the nearly 1,000 craftspersons who displayed their handicraft items and other products, and the food court, were also a huge attraction.
The event was organised by the Directorate of Art and Culture, along with the Udaipur-based West Zone Cultural Centre. Undeniably, there was some critical feedback too. Early on, some complained that the allotment of stalls might not have been done fairly. Local residents were upset by the crowds that deluged the area, leading to parking congestion. Yet, if the crowd was anything to go by, many of the denizens of Goa›s capital found something of interest.
Still, Goa can do well to look beyond the here and now and draw lessons from events like the Lokotsav, which has been held for some years now. While highlighting the diversity of the crafts in the country is undoubtedly an important goal, we in Goa are yet to achieve the even more crucial task of highlighting the talent and diversity of our artisans to the outside world. Even within Goa itself, this neglected sector is yet to get its due.
Goa has been littered with promises to help showcase our craftspeople’s talent, but little has happened on this front so far. In 2009, there were plans for a Shilpagram project by the GHRSSIDC Ltd. (Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Corporation), but this project was dropped by the next government. It was meant to be a 14,400 sqm project, conveniently located in Panaji, developed at a cost of Rs 5 crore then. Long ago, the GHRSSIDC had also promised to build a crafts village in Dhargalim, Pernem. One can find references to a Goa Bazaar, a South Asia Foundation-initiated Goa Crafts Village, and the like. These remain on paper and as promises.
As craftspeople in Goa struggle to maintain their heritage and traditional knowledge, and to find access to new markets as the old ones wither away, they deserve something to be done for them. Goa can think of going beyond short-duration festivals and creating the infrastructure to showcase crafts from the region itself. The wider goal could be showcasing local artisans, fostering community engagement, and preserving cultural heritage. By organising events that highlight Goa›s unique crafts and traditions, the state can indeed boost tourism, support local artisans, and simultaneously strengthen its cultural identity. Additionally, incorporating more educational workshops and interactive sessions can enhance visitor experience and promote the transmission of traditional skills to the younger generations.
Tourism can also be more meaningful if craftspeople are given a better stake in it. Global tourism destinations have shown the way. This is true whether it’s Siem Reap (Cambodia) with its Artisans Angkor social enterprise; Oaxaca in Mexico with its black-clay (barro negro) pottery; Cusco, Peru (with its colourful cultural programmes of Inca and Spanish influence); Fukui, Japan (handmade paper in Echizen Washi village), or Quebec, Canada (offering visitors indigenous traditions, crafts, and its indigenous way of life). Goa is rich in such potential if properly packaged. Surely, a little imagination, or even inspiration from elsewhere, can go a long way in matters like these.
