Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Omani craftsmen and women were celebrated at the Hirfati Competition award-giving ceremony on Monday.
The Information Technology Authority celebrated the winners of the three-month long Hirfati online contest in which Omani crafts people were followed on various social media networks as they marketed their products locally and internationally.
A total of 81 handicrafts makers, both men and women, from Sohar, Manah, Sinaw and Smail attended training workshops as part of the competition, organised by the ITA and PACI.
Ten winners
After a months-long process of setting up online accounts on Instagram, marketing products and attracting followers, ten participants were crowned the winners.
Among them was Yousuf Abdullah Al Jahwri, whose 15 years of experience in crafting ceramic figures culminated in his Al Madar Gallery. “The competition was great because I felt that the participants were very strong opponents. It really pushed me and my marketing team to generate attention towards Al Madar,” he said.
“I’m self-taught, and therefore, I’m happy that I’ve worked up to this stage where I have a professional workshop with the latest tools. I’d like to open the first specialised manufacturing project for ceramic figures. This was a great step as I hope to gain the financial means for my goal in the future,” Al Jahwri added.
Nouf Salman Al Rawahi, another winner, began working on weaving cloth three years ago. She found support in the form of training at the Fabric Training and Production Centre in Samail. Her joining Hirfati was also a new experience in growing her small business. “The competition honed our social media skills because one has to continuously find ways to promote one’s products for almost three months,” she said.
Muna Saif Al Shukery, on the other hand, joined as an established business owner of an incense (oud) store, Al JooriBoukhur. “We started as a home business in 2007, and by 2015, we had opened a shop at one of the most prominent complexes in the Sultanate,” she said. “Such experiences are always helpful for a brand to improve, and I really enjoyed it,” Al Shukery said.
Another established business owner is Saud Sulaiman Al Hamimi, an award-winning veteran of the craft industry, specialising in woodwork and pen crafting. “The Creative Craftsman project was established in 2012 in the province of Bahla, and joining this competition was in line with my aim to enter global competition while maintaining a distinct Omani identity,” Al-Hamimi explained.
Al Hamimi attempted to integrate his local identity with an accessible brand. “I’ve focused on giving the project an authentic Omani identity through marketing, by giving it a logo of a traditional Omani khanjar (dagger), along with the impression of Arab and Islamic architecture.”
“The competition gave me a lot of insight into the field of marketing, especially through social media and Instagram. I gained many followers, and increased my brand recognition, which, in turn, led to a spike in sales,” Al-Hamimi added.
Competition organisers hope that Hirfati will raise awareness about the importance of digital marketing for businesses in the country. “The effective and creative use of ICT and social media would help in promoting the Sultanate and its rich heritage. Such technology offers diverse ways of showcasing Omani products,” a representative said.
