Ock Pop Tok means “east meets west” in the Lao language. We speak to Joanna Smith and Veo Douangdala, the women who founded Ock Pop Tok, a company that hires local Lao women to create traditional textiles. Ock Pop Tok does tours, hosts classes, has a cafe, a gallery, and fosters cultural exchange through travel opportunities for its weavers, all with the goal of elevating the profile of Lao textiles and artisans. Jo and Veo tell us all about how and why they started Ock Pop Tok in 2000, the different ethnic groups of Laos and how they all have their own unique textile style, how their work benefits local women, and so much more.
Learn more about Ock Pop Tok and discover Laos through textiles at https://www.ockpoptok.com/ or on Instagram at @ockpoptok (https://www.instagram.com/ockpoptok/?hl=en)
They also have Ock Pop Tok TV (highly recommended!): https://www.ockpoptok.com/blog/category/ock-pop-tok-tv/ and if you’d like to listen to their podcast, tune in here: https://www.ockpoptok.com/radio/
And if you’re ever in Luang Prabang, Laos, definitely visit the Living Crafts Center there! It was a highlight of Theresa’s trip to Laos.
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The Wild and Curious Podcast explores what it’s like to be a woman in the world, all around the world by highlighting stories from womxn everywhere. Cohosts Theresa Christine and Suzanne Schmedding are Craigslist roommates turned globetrotting best friends. With backgrounds in travel writing and education, respectively, they sit down with extraordinary womxn worldwide to discuss the ways they’re breaking barriers and helping their local communities.