Amade Rachide

Mozambique

Year(s) attended: 2009

Ourivesaria Moderna in cooperation with Centro de Estudos e Desenvolvimento de Artesanato (CEDARTE)

Jewelry

Most boys begin to learn to make jewelry at the age of 7 or 8, but Amade Rachide did not start until he was 19.  His mother hoped he would gain an education and not be a jeweler as almost all the men in their family and community had been for generations.  But war changed his mother’s dream and she advised her son to stay home where it was safe and learn jewelry-making from his father.  Today Amade is a master artist and a leader of the cooperative.  The silver and gold filigree jewelry was introduced by Persian Arabs at some time before 1600.  Due to a shortage of silver, the art began to die out, but has been revived by supplies of good quality silver and the recognition of the art’s cultural importance.