BWARI POTTERY VILLAGE

Very nice experience that gives the opportunity to go out of town, around a quality craft. The potters' village of Bwari is located a little outside the town of the same name, and consists of several single-storey banco structures, painted white and with straw roofs, which effectively give the whole the appearance of a small country hamlet.

The pottery community that has lived there for more than twenty years is actually from Kano, and gets its clay from the Kaduna road, where the latter would have unparalleled properties. The material is worked with water in baths where it is mixed with another kind of clay. A week is then left in water to evaporate from the baths, in order to obtain a sufficiently consistent substance, which they let dry in large peat hung on the walls of the workshop. When it finally reaches its clay paste consistency, it is ready to be worked by the potter, who puts his words into action in a masterful demonstration, the mill on foot and his expert hands capable of moulding a vase in a few minutes. It will then dry for a short day, before going into a special oven for a first baking. The pot finally goes to the painting stage, in various indigo, white or black baths before a second firing. If you stay long enough, you can ask to mould an object yourself. It is only once all this work has been integrated that you will appreciate the beauty of the objects displayed in the store at the entrance. All are on sale at very modest prices which - rare fact - are labelled! Vase, jars, candle holders, ashtrays, crockery, flower pots... all decorated with carved decorations and bathed in bluish white shades: superb!