At Fitur, she hopes to "leave the flag flying high" for both Málaga and Mijas, where there is a great cradle of artisans

 

Published: 24th January 2024

 

The craftswoman Sonia Lekuona has been chosen by the Andalusian Regional Government to represent Malaga's craftwork at Fitur 2024. Specifically, Lekuona will be at the Andalusian stand showing her work in esparto grass and offering a workshop. "I received a call from Seville, from the Department for Commerce, in which they told me that I had been selected to represent Malaga", said the esparto grass maker, who received the news "with great pride". Concretely, she will be at the Andalusian pavillion of the International Tourism Fair on the 27th and 28th of January, sharing the space with another 7 companions in craftworks from the Autonomous Community, one for each province and showing different crafts. "We are going to be representing the crafts with an exhibition, but they have chosen three of these eight to offer a lesson and I am one of them representing Malaga", said Lekuona. 

As well as offering a workshop, the craftswoman will be exhibiting pieces that she herself has made with her own hands and a lot of care, from small baskets to large floor lamps. "I hope it will be surprising and that they will see that there is something different when it comes to making esparto grass, as there is a concept that we can't get out of carpets and there are more things within esparto grass that can be made to design", she added.

All this has been done, moreover, in an artisan and sustainable manner, but also innovating, like the rest of the artisans who will go to Fitur and who keep alive professions such as this one, which identifies Mijas so much. "I'm going there with the Malaga flag in the background, but they will be talking about Mijas; that goes without saying, because this craft is so traditional in Mijas that it is impossible not to link it", added the esparto grass maker, who considers this invitation to be an important step for the handicraft sector, as the pavilion will show how an esparto grass object is made, but also how other handicraft products are made. She hopes that at Fitur she will "leave the flag flying high" for both Málaga and Mijas, where there is a great cradle of artisans. In fact, the craftswoman recalled, last year "a fellow craftsman who works glass, Jonathan Diaz" participated in Fitur. "In the Mijas association there is cache, there is a very good ground to sow art", said Lekuona, who is also president of the Association of Artisans of Mijas.

 

Source: Mijas Comunicación S.A.