Vientiane (GNP): In Laos’ capital, a small group of weavers is hand-making Palestinian keffiyehs from traditional Lao mulberry silk. Each piece often takes more than a month to complete. The work is part of The Silk Keffiyeh project, which also raises funds for Palestine.
The design joins two cultures in a single cloth. It carries the naga, the serpent that serves as a Lao UNESCO heritage symbol, interlocked into a fishnet pattern. The motif stands for protection, strength and resilience.
Both elements have deep roots. According to Lao tradition, the naga wrapped itself around the Lao people to shield them from brutal Siamese conquests in the past. It is also said to have shared weaving knowledge with them. The fishnet, in turn, reflects the Palestinian connection to the sea, as project founder Souvixada Somsacksy explained.
The project began in December 2024 with a clear purpose. It aims to be an independent, worker-led alternative for Lao textile weavers who want to move away from factory work, while raising money for Palestine at the same time.
Souvixada launched it jointly with her godmother, Bouakham Phengmixay, who is also known as Mae. Mae worked in a textile factory for more than 30 years. She is keen to pass on her craft to younger Laotians, since the tradition is slowly fading.
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That wish for continuity shapes daily life at the project. The pair now run a full-time residency where people can learn to weave traditional Lao textiles. Weekly activities such as tatreez embroidery circles sit alongside the weaving, bringing together motifs from Lao and Palestinian textile traditions.
News of the work travelled by word of mouth, and it reached a senior diplomat. In May 2026, Saadi Salama, the Palestinian ambassador to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, visited the residency and spent a few days with the weavers. He wove a few lines of the silk keffiyeh himself, and he was left very moved by the experience.
The visit gave the small project a meaningful endorsement. It also showed how a craft rooted in one country can carry a message of solidarity for another.
Souvixada Somsacksy said, “The Palestinian fishnet symbolises their connection to the sea.”
