Local handicraft producers join forces against imported counterfeits

The souvenir items bought are carried all the way from the Maldives, far across the oceans to their home country and gifted to their loved ones, sometimes displayed in their living rooms, providing significance to the brief holidays the tourists have spent in Maldives. The items displayed often create interest and knowledge about the history and culture of the country and sometimes what the buyers learn about the work of art are fixed in their mind and are passed on with the products. The importance of authentic handicraft items and the handicraft industry goes beyond this.

Maldives is country rich in heritage and a culture worthy of immersion and discovery through token and memory. The authentic souvenir items bought by tourists buy show aspects of culture, history and identity, be it the Gadhdhoo mat, the coconut shell necklace or the lacquer item for Baa Thuladhoo.

These authentic handicraft items helps in defining who we are and the context which we live in both in the past and present.