Digitising Traditional Designs: Crafting a future of dignity and inclusivity
Description:
The Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative® (CIPRI) and Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) are launching two internship opportunities to support our work in protecting traditional culture and traditional designs of artisans, ethnic groups and local communities.
In July 2021, our consortium completed a project with the Oma ethnic group in Laos, piloting a model to use community outreach, documentation, legal tools, and a digital database to provide defensive protection for Oma textile designs, and a potential foundation for communities to enter into commercial partnerships with designers.
We are now looking to expand this successful model, replicating it with other artisan groups interested in taking steps to protect and manage their cultural intellectual property.
We are looking for highly-motivated, detail-oriented, and ambitious individuals to remotely assist the CIPRI and TAEC consortium in planning, developing and executing the fundraising strategy.
Interns can expect to gain experience in sustainable development strategies, working with ethnic groups and local communities on the protection and promotion of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, advocacy and social justice.
Key tasks for this internship include:
Surveying potential funding opportunities (through grants, sponsorships, partnerships) to support the project
Compiling a ranked matrix of funding opportunities, and identification of short list to pursue
Drafting applications and project proposals
The ideal candidate would be able to commit to approximately 8 - 10 hours of remote work per week. Dates/times are flexible.
Duration:
3 - 6 months, starting on 15 November 2021
Location:
Remote -- the individuals chosen for the two positions will have regular Zoom calls with CIPRI and TAEC’s teams in Europe (GMT+2) and Asia (GMT+7)
Ideal Qualifications and Attributes:
Self-motivated
Independent
Strong online research skills
Excellent English language writing ability
Background and/or interest in finance, business administration, law, advocacy, sustainable development, non-profit fundraising
Remuneration
This is an unpaid position, but a professional recommendation letter will be provided after successful completion, and the organisations can act as future work or educational references.
How to apply?
If you are interested, please send your CV and a cover letter of no more than 500 words explaining your motivation and interest in applying for this position in one single PDF file by email to office@culturalintellectualproperty.com.
The cover letter should not exceed 500 words.
In your motivation letter, besides your motivation and interest, please indicate 2 areas in which your support could advance our work.
Deadline for applications:
Friday 5th November 2021 at midnight CET.
About CIPRI: The Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative® (CIPRI) is designed to be a worldwide movement supporting the recognition of cultural intellectual property rights® for craftsmen and women who are the custodians and transmitters of traditional garments, traditional designs and traditional manufacturing techniques.
This Initiative was born in April 2018 from the need to eliminate culturally appropriative behaviour in the fashion industry with a vision to create a system that nurtures, sustains and protects Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions.
The Initiative's mission is to act as a mediator in relationships between different stakeholders in the fashion and craft ecosystem, and to support cultural sustainability as a form of education and promotion of cultural heritage and Traditional Cultural Expressions.
About TAEC: The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) is a social enterprise in Luang Prabang, Laos, dedicated to promoting the appreciation and transmission of Laos’ ethnic cultural heritage and livelihoods based on traditional skills. TAEC features a museum with exhibitions on the ethnic cultures of Laos and fair-trade handicraft shops directly linked with artisan communities. The Centre’s work includes school outreach activities, craft workshops, lectures, research, and a non-profit foundation.
In April 2019, TAEC discovered that items in the Weekend Max Mara clothing line, featuring cultural designs of the Oma ethnic group from Laos, were being sold without consent, credit, or compensation of their origin. TAEC has worked closely with the Oma since 2010 and this discovery brought home the importance and challenge of protecting cultural intellectual property from misappropriation and plagiarism, particularly by international textile and fashion companies.
TAEC, as an advocate for the interests of ethnic minority communities, is leading the movement to support recognition of the rights of communities over their traditional knowledge and cultural expressions in Laos. Visit www.taeclaos.org/oma for more information.
