Globalization and new technologies have reached just about every nook and cranny of the world. Yet ancient arts remain. In North Africa, that includes carpet weaving.

Here’s a tip.

Want a way to show people love even if you don’t know their language well? Learn to appreciate their traditions. Explore music, dance, visual art, handicrafts and cuisine. Make a friend and invite them—or maybe better yet, their parents and grandparents—to teach you. Be curious and seek to learn more.

When you demonstrate that you are a learner, others will want to teach you and help you understand. As you may notice, this is especially true if you ask them to teach you how to do something rather than tell you how they do it.

Try It Close to Home, Too!

Something special happens when you take your place as a student rather than a teacher. You give that honor to another, recognizing and validating their expertise. Try this with an international friend, whether they are an international student, refugee, immigrant—or simply from a different culture than the one you know best. Invite them to be your teacher.

You can ask questions like these:

• Where do these traditions come from? Who preserves them?
• How do people pass down the traditions and to whom?
• What values do these traditions reflect and represent?
• Do many people in the culture still embrace those values?
• What practices have changed? What has stayed the same?

A photographer visiting Morocco stopped by a small weaving operation and captured a few images.

 

Photos courtesy of CommNet, a ministry of Pioneers.

Going Deeper

• See other photo essays on this website.
• Browse stories, pictures, videos and more from North Africa.
• College-aged? Check out opportunities to explore other cultures on a summer Edge trip.