Summary
Sixty-four year old Ahmad, who calls himself Abu Mahmoud, sits inside his small shop in Tripoli's Shaarani neighborhood in north Lebanon.
The current trajectory of this old craft of straw chair making is, sadly, on the road to extinction.
Abu Mahmoud demonstrated how the old craft is done as he carved wooden crossbars out of wood.
Big chairs are sold for around $30 and small ones at around $10 .
Abu Mahmoud doesn't consider making straw chairs a tough undertaking as much as one that requires patience and good taste.
In order to keep the craft alive, Abu Mahmoud is assisting several workshops linked to civil society associations that aim to preserve the craft and teach younger generations the skills needed.
Abu Mahmoud approved of the civil society groups trying to pass the craft to a new generation.
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