NAJWA RAHIM

Algeria - Feziya Sahib loves Algeria's cultural heritage and she has devoted the rest of her life to publicize and document this heritage. She is a modest woman describing what she does as “craft” not art. Being a retired French teacher, Feziya Sahib is now 60 years old.

Feziya Sahib has produced her paintings and designs to honor her grandmother. She has held her first exhibition called, “Parents should spoil their children, ruins of handicrafts” at the headquarters of the Algerian Agency for Cultural Radiation in Algeria.

“I try to restore my heritage by using a special artistic character”

Feziya went to a vocational training center to improve her skills in handicraft and she took a course. After the course, she preferred to work on traditional craft and to specialize in heritage. She received certificates to be professional in her field. “I weaved carpets and baskets from tree leaves and Halfa plants to boost the heritage of the region and to protect the tradition by adding aesthetic artistic details,” said Feziya.

Feziya named all her works one by one and talked about them by explaining their meanings. “I named my works after figures and symbols of the Amazigh (the Berber’s) heritage. ‘Abzim’ means embroideries, ‘Tafsot’ means spring, ‘Telly’ means freedom and ‘Eteran’ means stars. All these names show my ties with heritage, tradition and memory.”

Feziya uses clay and natural colors

Feziya talked about the materials she has used for her paintings and other works, “The most of materials I have used come from nature, such as clay and natural colors, depicting the Algerian Berber heritage,” Feziya said that she has also used old compact discs and other old materials.

Feziya also called on all culture lovers to value and protect Algerian heritage, “We should introduce our traditional handicrafts and protect our country’s cultural values.”