At a recent promotional event to raise awareness about the income earning and job creation potentials in pottery, Mairo Women Foundation was passionate in calling for the revival of the dying art. Executive Director of the Foundation, Honourable Maryamu Isah Barnabas expressed worries that pottery which used to be seen as a noble profession has since gone into decline. She said the unique art and craft of pot making is being ignored because some see it as a dirty work, which involves lots of process before getting a masterpiece. Mairo Women Foundation is currently implementing a two-year project focused on Promoting the Rights of the Original Inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through pottery. It is part of the portfolio of projects funded by the MacArthur Foundation, through the Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED).
The pottery enthusiasts gathered however noted that the art form goes way beyond moulding pots, or household items alone. They stressed that it requires creative thinking and masterful execution before beautiful master piece can be produced from start to finish. According to Honourable Barnabas pottery is not a dirty work. She narrated how money from pot making was used to train and nurture her from birth. She therefore called on the youth of the FCT not to neglect the pottery as an art form and as a means of livelihood, describing it as fulfilling path.
On her part, Founder of COMA Initiative, Mrs. Precious Jonah, in her address said: “Our culture is dying in Nigeria because children no longer know how we used to do things. Instead, parents are in a hurry to let them learn the foreign cultures while we let ours wither. From our culture, we have practical ways of solving our problems but have failed to adopt these ways. Time and times again, we keep borrowing innovations from the western culture while neglecting our own original innovations.” Mrs. Jonah stressed that Original Inhabitants in the FCT and all Nigerians have a collective role in preserving cultural heritage, just as she stressed the need to be intentional about our culture and crafts. She said intentionality about culture will help in preserving it, through documentation of our crafts, which would lead to patronage and celebration of creatives.
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For keynote speaker at the event, Comrade Bala Musa, only those that forget the past will make repeat mistakes of the past. He said people who do not know their past, are lost. He went on to prod the audience with thought provoking questions like, where is our past, what do we know about ourselves as Africans, as Nigerians? Dr Mida Ayuba, who took the third keynote speech, appreciated the MacArthur Foundation, CHRICED and Mairo Women Foundation for taking strides towards revamping the cultural the heritage of the Abuja original inhabitants through pot making. He went down memory lane by reading the autobiography of late Dr Ladi Kwali. He lamented that the Kwali Centre which ought to be a thing of pride for the people of Kwali area, is in a state of disarray, with tourists being disappointed as the centre falls short of their expectation of what it should be. For Dr, Ayuba, the pottery Centre has not been fully maximized and utilized due to poor planning, management and maintenance.
He therefore pleaded with the government that the sector of art and culture be promoted for economic growth. According to him, if the Kwali Centre is revamped, it will create employment opportunity for those in Kwali Area Councils and environs. Similarly, the Tambari of Abaji, applauded the Mario Foundation for harnessing talents, and nurturing them to have a means of livelihood in pottery. He also made a clarion call to government at all levels, well-meaning individuals and corporate organizations to see it as a matter of urgency to channel more energy to the creativity industry for the development of Nigeria as a country. The event was also used by Mairo Women Foundation to launch its magazine called “We Were Potters”. Deserving trainees were also awarded for their skills in pottery by Mairo Women Foundation.