Lebanese shoemaker fights to save his profession
STORY: Location: Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon
This Lebanese shoemaker is struggling to keep his profession alive
Hagop Kechichian has been a shoemaker for as long as he can remember
But his work is dwindling as he competes with cheaper imports
along with a lack of raw materials and frequent power cuts
(Hagop Kechichian, shoemaker)
"The material that we need, we can’t find. Our industry demands a lot of raw materials. Leather, glue, nails, cables, buttons, heels; all of these we can’t find. We bring whatever we can find.’’
Lebanon's economic crisis means the power often goes out
Kechichian can’t afford a private generator so he just waits for the power to return
or works manually with hammers and pliers
"If I want to put on the generator to have light here, I would have to pay three million Lebanese liras or four
million Lebanese liras for electricity. Where am I going to get three, four million Lebanese liras every month? No, I work with no electricity. When the electricity comes, it comes."