At barely 18, Ismael Mompeller Rodriguez learned to weave with palm leaves in his hometown in the province of Ciego de Avila, where the fields brim with these centuries-old trees.
Of small height, Ismael, 39, works in the Special Workshop 507, staffed by members of Cuban associations for the physically challenged (ACLIFIM), the blind (ANCI) and the deaf (ANSOC).
“When I was studying at my local special school, they took me to their workshop to teach me what they do, and this trade has been my form of sustenance ever since. I was born with a bone disorder, but my ailment has not kept me from being a useful part of society and providing for my family,” he said as he grabs a bunch of cut leaves to make a broom.
Ismael has earned so much prestige among the weavers of this and other similar enterprises in the region that all his fellow workers rely on him to learn more, even if they have also received training.
“These days they will take me to a workshop in a coastal town to teach the workers there how to make bags, baskets and brooms. You must pass down what you learn to others; it’s pointless to excel in something and taking it to the grave with you without other people being able to enjoy it,” he remarks with the typical enthusiasm of those who create and like to share.
As humble and natural as the guano palm tree itself, Ismael confesses that he cannot part with this type of handicraft, in which he has specialized to the point of knowing the characteristics that the raw material must have for each item to be made. “For example, if the leaves are dark, they are not good for brooms,” he points out.
Considered a sustainable material of great cultural and economic value, the guano palm is useful to roof over houses and make chairs, rocking chairs, hats and hundreds of other items, as Ismael knows only too well as he works from his chair in workshop 507 to weave his own history.