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Ed Miller with U.S. Embassy Cultural Attaché (Photo: Honore Koffi/US Embassy)

American Cultural Specialist Conducts Workshops in Abidjan, Yamoussoukro and Bouake

From September 30 to October 10, American Cultural Specialist Ed Johnette Miller led workshops in Côte d’Ivoire’s three major cities for local artists, weavers, craftsmen and NGO leaders on product promotion, market analysis and international partnerships.

In Yamoussoukro, she saw a great need among artisans for industry magazines, threads, and loom designs and promised to send them appropriate goods and materials from the States. During sessions with artisans in Bouake, she proposed concrete solutions to get local artisan handicrafts and products onto the international market. 

Ms. Miller’s artistic background and previous work in Africa made her a perfect fit for the program, particularly in Ivoirian capital Abidjan, where she inspired workshop participants -- leaders and representatives from a number of artisan and cultural NGOs – to establish a confederation of their associations to better promote their commercial interests. Everywhere, Ms. Miller presented shrewd, practical, frank advice about marketing and selling in overseas markets, which could result in the export of Ivorian handicrafts to the United States.