The most effective organizations and people thrive under pressure. This is true of Win Ma Ma Aye, Country Director of Turquoise Mountain Myanmar, an organization working to preserve the country’s rich heritage of craftsmanship.
In the face of ongoing turbulence, Turquoise Mountain Myanmar has worked tirelessly to support the country’s traditional crafts, by restoring historic buildings in Yangon (including the restoration of the Tourist Burma building and a house on Pho Sein Street) and providing critical support and market access to artisans.
“We ensure they have the resources and support needed to thrive and pass on their skills to the next generation,” Win explains.
Win has two decades of experience working in both international development and humanitarian roles within Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Reflecting on her present calling as Turquoise Mountain’s Country Director in her home country, Win says, “Despite Myanmar’s unique challenges, I find the role immensely fulfilling. I’m so proud to support artisans and showcase Myanmar’s exceptional crafts to the world.”
We asked Win to share her insights into Turquoise Mountain Myanmar’s work, the challenges that face Myanmar’s artisans, and the difference that Turquoise Mountain Myanmar has made.
Myanmar’s long history with artisanal craft is apparent from the traditional recognition of “Pan Sel Myo”. But the drop in tourism and international access is threatening artisans’ livelihoods. Can you tell us about the challenges that Myanmar artisans face in the present day?
Since the pandemic, Myanmar crafts are less attractive to international buyers and has put immense pressure on artisan livelihoods, as well as threatening the continuity of craft traditions.
When the demand for artisanal craft disappears, workshops have no choice but to downsize, leaving many artisans out of work.
Climate change is also impacting the artisan community. In September, severe rains from Typhoon Yagi resulted in significant flooding. In Lake Inle, where approximately 50% of household income is generated from hand weaving, most essential looms and yarns were submerged and severely damaged by the flood.
We live in such a fast-paced world. We want everything made and delivered in a few days. Artisanal craft takes time, and artisans who work with their skilled and agile hands need several days, weeks and months to realize their artistic vision through handmade jewelry, lacquerware and woven textiles.
Most importantly, there are very few individuals who have the exceptional skills and craftsmanship of a master artisan. We find ourselves in an urgent situation, where younger artisans must learn and adopt skills from master artisans before it’s too late.
A substantial proportion of Myanmar’s overall economy – 12% of the working age population, or 2.5 million people – work in crafts and related trades, making it the fourth largest employment sector as of the 2014 census. We are talking about challenges faced by a significant proportion of Myanmar’s population – it continues to be extremely challenging to mobilise projects that aim to improve the livelihoods of the artisans community.
Image courtesy of Win Ma Ma Aye/Turquoise Mountain
How did you get involved in Turquoise Mountain, and how did your background prepare you for your present role?
Turquoise Mountain and I go way back to 2013, when Myanmar started re-engaging with the international community. Shoshana Stewart, President of Turquoise Mountain, and I were introduced by a mutual friend, and we discussed Turquoise Mountain coming to Myanmar to open an office.
We kept in touch and began to plan Turquoise Mountain’s involvement in the restoration of the iconic Tourist Burma building. I also volunteered as part of Turquoise Mountain’s wellbeing programme for artisans as a yoga instructor, encouraging and guiding artisans to rest and stretch to alleviate pain and improve posture.
Eventually, I was compelled to take up a new challenge and join Turquoise Mountain as a Country Director in 2022 in order to continue to support communities and my country from within.
My work for the tourism industry in the 90s helped foster a deep passion and interest for heritage sites and buildings as well as for artisanal crafts. I have two decades of experience working in several senior management roles for both international development and humanitarian projects in Myanmar and Sri Lanka as well as the private sector, including law and tourism.
Prior to Turquoise Mountain, I led and managed a British law firm in Myanmar through which I had significant exposure to the Myanmar legal system. These roles provided me with a wealth of knowledge and management experience in the development, humanitarian and private sectors preparing me for the leadership role at Turquoise Mountain Myanmar, a charity with a socially focused entrepreneurial approach.
As Turquoise Mountain’s Country Director, I identify myself as the bridge between the organisation and the local heritage, culture and crafts we work to preserve, and for the team of nearly 60 staff (almost everyone is a native of Myanmar) and thousands of craftswomen and men who work together to showcase the excellence of Myanmar’s heritage crafts to the world.
Can you give me an example of a flagship project of Turquoise Mountain’s, and what has been accomplished through this project?
In Myanmar, we support artisans through built heritage, handwoven textiles, traditional goldsmithing, and lacquerware flagship projects.
The conservation of Pho Sein villa and its adoption as the centre for Myanmar culture including an atelier, a boutique and a cafe is one of Turquoise Mountain Myanmar’s signature conservation projects.
When discovered, the Pho Sein villa at 47B Pho Sein Road had been partially abandoned for more than 15 years and was home to only three remaining family members. Pho Sein villa, originally a family home built in the 1920s by an Indian family and later bought by a Chinese-Myanmar family, exemplifies the cosmopolitan past and present of Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar.
The building is located on a small alley off Pho Sein Road, named after the Great Pho Sein, one of the most influential 20th century dancers, actors and singers of traditional Myanmar theatre. Situated near Kandawgyi Lake, the building resides on 0.75 acres of land and offers a serenely quiet, yet publicly accessible space.
Through this restoration, we demonstrated the unique value and creativity of heritage building restoration promoted Myanmar’s cultural heritage in a publicly accessible space; secured the future of this significant historic building; provided training to the crafts and heritage industry; kick-started regeneration within the immediate area and wider Yangon.
The conservation was completed with Heroes and Handicrafts, a handcrafted and bespoke initiative, and developed together with Sampan Travels. Their tour takes visitors into the labyrinth of Pho Sein and Nat Mauk neighbourhoods to travel back in time and see several historical buildings. Near the museum is Pochi Silk workshop, specialising in handwove silk kaftans. The tour ends at Turquoise Mountain where visitors can experience the restored heritage building, see artisans learning or working on their exceptional crafts.
Image courtesy of Win Ma Ma Aye/Turquoise Mountain
How does Turquoise Mountain connect Myanmar’s skilled artisans and traditional crafts with the global market, and what impact has this had on the local artisan community?
The artisans of Turquoise Mountain produce world-class products for international clients, hotels and buyers – markets that Turquoise Mountain is able to access through its reputation and established cultural and commercial networks. We help bridge the gap between Myanmar’s fine quality crafts and skilled artisans with the global market that places a true value and premium on handmade traditional textiles, jewellery and lacquerware.
We ensure that value is transferred to local artisans and workers and used to developing the industry in Myanmar for the long term. We also collaborate with Label STEP to improve social standards, starting in the weaving sector.
We have been working with and supporting artisans and their families across Myanmar to ensure that they can earn a living from their skills and support their families no matter where they reside. To date, our projects in Myanmar have had a huge positive impact. Our projects combined have supported nearly 2,000 artisans in building, weaving, goldsmithing and lacquerware. When artisans start working on orders, their income is increased by 30%.
How does Turquoise Mountain determine which projects to support? Which projects look to be the most promising in terms of results?
Our mission is to support artisans to preserve and pass on their traditions to the next generation, to elevate their craftmanship, connect to global markets and create income to sustain their families. In line with our mission, we focus on projects that help artisans to practice and revive heritage crafts and skills that are fast disappearing.
In built heritage, we focus on disseminating knowledge on lime plastering techniques. Buildings require significant funding and with ongoing conflict, we don’t see a lot of interests there at the moment although there is a huge need to protect them.
Handcrafted jewellery inspired by heritage design has a steady following already. We just started lacquerware this year – it looks promising but it’s difficult to tell how this will pan out in the future.
Our textiles for homeware and interior decoration and furniture at the moment look promising. All our textile collections launches on Kachin, Inle Ikat or Zin-Me (Chiang Mai in Myanmar language) and Mandalay, Amarapura and Sagaing Acheik heritage and heritage-inspired designs have been very successful.
Requests for sample swatches and textile orders are slowly coming in including orders from high end hotels and renowned international designers who value artisanal crafts and want to support artisans in extremely difficult situations, while understanding the time and efforts invested and are willing to wait the longer lead-time.
What international exhibitions has Turquoise Mountain participated in that showcase Myanmar’s heritage – and how have they promoted tourism/cultural appreciation of Myanmar’s artisanal crafts?
We have been showcasing our jewellery, textiles and lacquerware in NY NOW, Focus/24 design festival in London, NouvelleBox and Maison et Object in Paris, and in Kyoto together with Dacco from Myanmar. We are currently exploring similar opportunities in Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific.
Moreover, our handwoven textiles are showcased as part of the King’s Suite at London’s Connaught Hotel. Our textiles featuring Ikat from Lake Inle, Lun Ta Yar Kyoe Gyi Cheik (also known as Acheik) from Sagaing, Mandalay and Amarapura, Kachin textiles from northern Myanmar and artistic backstrap woven textiles of Chin and Rakhine weavers at Focus/24 have been considered a showstopping highlight by visitors and organisers. We received several requests from interior designers and prominent textile houses for samples and swatches.
With the ongoing conflict, and international travel warnings against Myanmar, it’s impossible for international visitors and designers to come see Myanmar’s artisanal crafts such as Inthas, Bamars, Rakhines, Kayahs and Chins — all different ethnic groups with a unique identity and a rich heritage. So we help bring these beautiful masterpieces to the international stage, simultaneously showing and explaining how culture, heritage, cuisine and artisanal crafts are still alive in Myanmar, a beautiful country facing increasingly challenging times.
Can you tell us about Myanmar-located activities promoted by Turquoise Mountain, like the Ta Saung Dine market stall, and their role in promoting Turquoise Mountain’s advocacy for locals?
Ta Saung Dine community market was first proposed by SheCreates, a network of hundreds of women-led businesses, many of which are craft businesses with women founders. We were absolutely thrilled to join such an expansive network of resilient Myanmar women entrepreneurs and creators.
Ta Saung Dine is the name of the month that generally crosses over October and November. Usually, the monsoon is over by Ta Saung Dine, the weather is clear, dry and crisp – one of the best seasons – and people all over Myanmar celebrate this season with markets and festivities.
Ta Saung Dine community market embraces this festive month through Myanmar traditional music and dance as a way of honouring our culture and heritage in a modest and thoughtful way while recognising challenges of the country.
I have learned that craft businesses that participated at the market had a good day of sales. Most importantly, the community crafts market demonstrates the power and value of Turquoise Mountain’s work by promoting accessibility to crafts and the creative community and proving the cultural significance and value of historic architecture.
We are so delighted to have supported fellow craftswomen of Myanmar for their access to markets, and to have achieved our mission together with SheCreates, to provide a space for public events, especially in crafts and in the promotion of creativity, in our restored heritage villa. I’m sure the visitors will remember the day, the crafts and the beauty of heritage villa which hopefully will further ignite their passion to value and protect heritage buildings and our culture and crafts.
Image courtesy of Win Ma Ma Aye/Turquoise Mountain
How do Turquoise Mountain projects contribute to boosting the creative economy in Myanmar, or help build community resilience?
All our projects are led by master artisans of Myanmar and involve the training of artisans to a world-class standard. This helps to preserve traditional and heritage crafts at risk of disappearing while also providing opportunities to create real, livelihoods and income opportunities through craft and creativity.
We carefully select and use premium raw materials such as longer fiber yarns and dyes approved in the European Union for our textiles. Our yarns are either dyed in industry standard dyeing facilities that are environmentally friendly or small batches in our small model dye yard that also meets industry standards.
We also carefully study the designs and colourways of Myanmar and follow what is in demand internationally to inform the creation of unique Myanmar designs and colours. Artisans who have then completed their training are then able to start weaving handwoven world-class Myanmar textiles.
Similarly, we ensure that our jewellery avoids mechanised tools and use traditional techniques by hand from making open wires, carving wax moulds to embossing and polishing. We also ensure that our gold jewellery meet the UK assay standards, i.e, at least 75% gold and nickel free.
In lacquerware, we adhere to traditional process of making lacquerware that takes nearly one year so that each layer of lacquer is thoroughly dried.
The end result is world-class Myanmar artisanal crafts that impress international clients who value exceptional quality and beauty. Placing these orders with artisans and artisanal workshops and businesses directly results in improved incomes, livelihoods, and job opportunities for artisans in the craft sector, boosting creative economy and economic resilience in uncertain times.
What’s on Turquoise Mountain to-do list for the next five years?
We will continue our core activities to support and upskill artisans in built heritage, jewellery, lacquerware and hand weaving through crafts and business skills training. We are going to do more to assess the supply chains we work in and minimise our environmental impact in artisanal crafts.
We are aware that the materials we use, such as cotton, dyes, gemstones, can have significant environmental and ethical implications. We have already taken steps toward greater transparency and sustainability, but we believe we can do more. This includes continuing our efforts to increase traceability of the supply chains, find better alternatives wherever possible and actively support our artisans and suppliers to adhere to sustainable standards and adopt more sustainable practices.
What this means in practice, just to name a few, is expanding our partnership with Label STEP, a Swiss NGO, in social standards awareness raising and social auditing to all the sectors we work; supporting local mills to produce better quality yarns and fibers; and promote and disseminate environmentally safe dyeing practices to small-scale dyeing facilities, all contributing to addressing key issues and bottlenecks in the supply chains.
To learn more about Turquoise Mountain Myanmar, visit their website, or check out their social media pages: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
