Why Should We Support Our Artisans?

In Colombia, at the beginning of the 90s, the government of President Cesar Gaviria declared the Economic Opening as the formula to modernize the country and make it more competitive. This decision favored some sectors, mainly large industries and commerce, which initiated the new era of imports in Colombia, but unfortunately greatly harmed other sectors, such as small crafts, manufacturing, the SME industry and agriculture, among others. From the 90s onwards, the country changed its habits of company creation, we became complacent, the so-called Dutch disease arrived due to the oil boom, for a merchant things were very easy, going to China and bringing one or two cheap containers to quickly flood the market, thus our shoemakers, leather goods artisans, small textile industries gradually disappeared, there was no longer any interest in creating a factory as an entrepreneurship because imported shoes took over the market, to such an extent that today in the minds of consumers only international brands remain, which have taken root almost staying for life in our purchasing intention.

But why should we support handmade products? Why should we buy from our artisans? Why should we believe that in this country we make things at the level of great global brands and even better? This year 2020 in particular, has left us with great lessons and one of them is seeing ourselves in great economic difficulties, I believe that this happened in all sectors and we found ourselves at some point alone and helpless, but immediately we began to reflect, that if we do not unite efforts, the country will not get ahead soon and its recovery will be very slow, for example, to take a vacation what better than to get to know our city, our country, to be more interested in our own, thus we support so many ventures that are hurt by this harsh recession due to the pandemic, also to be interested in buying products made in Colombia before thinking of a recognized international brand, if we buy our own we support the internal infrastructure of our country and thus we will see fewer unemployed people, more people starting factories, workshops, generating employment and supplying trade in a more stable economic balance for our country. For every pair of handmade shoes bought in Colombia we help more people to be motivated to continue buying national products, for this reason we must invite all potential buyers to live the experience of buying handmade, artisanal, manufactured in Colombia. Let's support our own, let's believe in ourselves, let's cultivate what we want to obtain.