The Randa of Tucuman

an opportunity for sustainable development through a local cultural resource

M. Moya

pp. 127-144

in: John Clammer, Ananta K. Giri (eds), The aesthetics of development, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017

Abstract

Argentina submitted the dossier "The Randas of Time" (Las Randas del Tiempo) before UNESCO, in order that this organization would consider the inclusion of that cultural expression in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. No matter what the result is—which at the time of the submission of this chapter had not yet been announced—it is worthwhile to invite the reader to learn something about randeras" (randa weavers) lives and their handicraft activities. We—the ethnographic team—were able to access this world through an exhaustive ethnographic work, carried out in the town of Monteros, in the NW of Argentina. The randa is a textile handicraft, consisting of a woven mesh, on which multiple and exquisite designs are embroidered. Randeras, together with local designers who understood the importance of safeguarding this craft technique, carry out their own safeguarding measures with some government support. These actions aim not only to protect the cultural expression but also to improve the living conditions of randeras, who are exposed to a situation of social and economic vulnerability.