Contact Kantara Crafts
Alia Kate, akate@kantaracrafts.com
Alia Kate holds a B.A. from Oberlin College in International
Relations with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa. She has been living and working in Morocco intermittently since 2005. When she first moved to Morocco, Alia worked as an advocacy specialist consultant in Rabat on a project that fights against child labor through education. Since living in Morocco, she has made and maintained several important connections with women artisans, small business cooperatives, and local education NGOs.
In order to deepen her understanding and appreciation for the craft, Alia has joined local weaving guilds and been trained by various professional artisans. In addition to weaving culture, Alia has also become fluent in Arabic adding to her existing knowledge of both French and Spanish. Knowledge of these languages are critical in the relationships that are essential to Kantara. Alia is one of the recipients of Cleveland’s Most Interesting Person Awards for 2009. In 2010 Alia revived the Moroccan Rug Society as a way to encourage the spread of knowledge and appreciation for Moroccan textiles.
