“El Mensej”, in Arabic, means the weaving loom, a wood working tool that weaves wool carpets called “Kilims”. This ancient weaving technique was traditionally used by nomad populations. The Kilim had different usages according to tribes, but it was mainly used as a separation item inside tents. Run on vertical looms, according to techniques remained unchanged over centuries, this know-how is undermined nowadays by craftsmen’s precarious living conditions who struggle to sell their products due to the lack of visibility.

To protect this tradition and make it a tool for economic integration, Mehdi Baccouche had the idea to create El Mensej in 2014, a social company that works with the weavers of Nefta, a small town in southwestern Tunisia, his hometown. His mission is to support craftsmen to better understand the needs of customers by offering responsible products that stand out, socially, culturally, and environmentally. For this, Kilims’ raw material comes from old second-hand clothing whose wool is unraveled then reused for carpet weaving.

This environmental call is reflected in the very essence of the activity: the looms, set up inside craftspeople’s homes, with no water nor energy consumed. As to products’ shipment, El Mensej relies on existing transport systems (buses, public taxis, etc) in order to reduce its environmental impact. This approach also brings awareness within the population itself:

The project, launched through a crowdfunding campaign, currently operates thanks to social networks and Internet orders, most of which come from France. If the weavers are today paid by the piece, the short-term goal would be to establish a structure for them to access social security and to contribute to retirement. In the long run, Mehdi Baccouche does not exclude the idea of adapting this model to other sectors in order to protect traditional knowledge of his country while strengthening the economic integration of artisans.