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Ushafa and Bwari Pottery – Saturday, 28 July 2007
Of the 20 people
who signed up for this trip, 17 made it with us. We met at 9:30 and greeted. Those who weren’t members were briefed by
Diane on the Society, the web site, etc.
Then, Roman talked a bit about the products we expected to see, some of
their traditions, evolution, etc. We loaded up into 3 SUVs and proceeded
to Ushafa (Bill Clinton village), where we visited an NGO started by Bill
Clinton to aid older women by helping them to produce traditional and more
modern pottery – usually used for storage, transportation of goods, and
cooking. From the attached government
school of ceramic arts, Samuel gave us a very nice tour of the pottery and told
us where the clay comes from, how the pots are decorated and fired, and how the
glaze is made from the husks of the pods of the gum tree. Then, one of the women demonstrated how a
beautiful, traditional round pot is made by putting the clay onto a small
platform, and then how she has to go around and around the platform to produce
the well-formed pot. She then showed us
how traditional tools are used to apply decorations to the pots. Of course, lots of little kids from the
village showed up, and Nicole had a blast leading them around everywhere we
went. Now, it was time for the
bargaining, and we loaded up a hoard of lovely pots.
Next, Samuel
gave us a tour of the government ceramic arts school and pottery, and explained
the way the old techniques have given way to newer methods of producing
pottery, including sieving the clay to make it fine, letting it dry out
somewhat to make it plastic (pliable), and the use of the potter’s wheel and
the modern, high-temperature kilns. We
watched as an artist prepared a pot that had faux mendings in it.
l-r
standing: Samuel &
at
wheel: Saidu, the boss; and Mussa
Once we were
through in the store and took out the next set of purchases, it was time to
walk across the village to the dye pits.
The locals weave
a home-spun cotton fiber into gauzy narrow strips of cloth which they then seam
together with a very loose stitch. Then,
they go up the hill to where the well-like dye pits are filled with water, the
pounded indigo dye producing plant, and some natural chemicals.
Two
village elders came up and showed us and explained to us how the cloth is
dipped and dried repeatedly until it is almost black – a procedure that takes
about ½ day. Several nice cloths were
for sale, and one of the boys told us and showed us how a cloth is draped over
a white undershirt in a traditional
over-one-shoulder-and-around-the-other-side-of-the-waist method to show off the
brilliant color.
The afternoon was
wearing on, and it was time to get to Bwari, especially as everyone was now
good and hungry.
Stephen had prepared tables, chairs, and
cloths for us, and just after we unpacked our picnics and settled in to enjoy
the goodies, it started to rain. We had
a great lunch and relaxed, and when the rain ended, we walked up to the
pottery. 
There, Stephen
took us around to the various buildings and talked about and demonstrated the
process of making modern high-fired, glazed pottery.
When all had had
their fill of the wonderful wares, there was some mutual picture-taking, and we
headed back to
Attendance:
Contact:
Rating:
Easy.
Security:
No known
security issues. There was one police
road block just after the ring road merges into the road out of town.
Gear:
The potteries
are outside – be sure to bring mosquito repellent and sunscreen as
needed. Bring your picnic lunch. Wear suitable
footwear for traipsing about. Be prepared for changing weather
conditions.
Costs:
Fuel –
approximately ¼ tank—depending on vehicle; consider contributing to help offset
the driver’s expenses if you’re riding with someone. Bring whatever money you may want to spend on
the wares.
Timing:
It takes about ½
hour or so to travel to Ushafa. Allow about 45 minutes to visit the
women’s cooperative. Then another ½ hour
or more for visiting the government ceramic arts center. If you are going to visit the dye pits and
buy cloth, add another hour at least.
The drive to Bwari from here is 20 minutes or so. Another hour for your picnic, and one more to
see Stephen’s demonstration and for shopping. Plan on this being an
all-day event with a 50-minute ride back.
Directions:
From the Hilton
hotel:
Shehu Shagari
north to Maitama past the British Council roundabout
At the end, turn
right onto the ring road.
At the end, turn
left on the road out of town.
Go about 15
minutes, and look for a large green directional sign for
Turn right
toward
At the gate,
turn left (do not go into the Biwater area)
At the next
large intersection (vendors selling honey, pots, etc.), proceed straight into
Ushafa.
Take the first right
(just over the bridge) and continue all the way into the facility, across the
dirt road.
From Ushafa:
Go back to the
intersection with the vendors of hone, pots, etc., and turn right
Go to the end
into Bwari village.
At T-junction,
turn left and proceed through and out of town.
Proceed past the
The pavement
will end, proceed on the dirt road.
Look for the
Bwari Pottery sign on the right just as the pavement resumes.
Turn right and
head for the buildings.