Preserving the Craft of Pottery Artisans

The art of creating pottery is a tradition that dates back centuries in Ethiopia. For generations, artisans have used their skills to craft a number of items, including coffee pots, bowls, plates and incense burners, among other goods. Despite the importance of these items in the Ethiopian artistic tradition, the crafting of pottery seems to be a dying trend. The Amatate Chaka Women Potters Association in Kechene, however, is hoping to change that, by providing women a space to create their items and sell them to potential buyers. EBR’s Meseret Mamo visited the Association to learn more about the women who work there and how they’re hoping to keep the tradition alive.

Although the art of making pottery is slowly disappearing, a few women in Ethiopia still create figurines and functional ware, which enables them to connect with their past, preserve a rare form of art and earn money. One such place can be found within a compound situated around Kechene, located in the northern part of Addis Ababa, near the foot of Entoto Mountain.
Within one of the sheds inside the compound, 48 women, who range in age from their early 20s to late 40s, produce traditional and functional pottery products under Ye-Amtate Chaka Women Potters Association. Established in 2011, the Association was organised as a Micro and Small Enterprise. The main objective of the Association is to generate adequate income for the associates and their families.
Genet Shewaye, 38, has been a potter for more than 25 years, but she joined the Association three years ago. She learned the craft from her mother as a child, and by the age of 13 she became a skilled potter whose work was sold in markets. “I can make different types of pottery, but the market forces me to make only coffee pots,” says Genet. “But occasionally I produce sculptures that depict different religious images.”
Although Genet prefers to produce only a few types of pottery products, her colleagues create a variety of items. Among the products the women in the Association produce, traditional coffee pots, bowls, and charcoal stoves are the most common items. Candle holders, incense burners, lamps, bowls of various forms and dimensions are also produced.
Working under the auspices of the Association provides many advantages for the women potters, including gaining work experience and knowledge sharing. But perhaps the biggest benefit for the women is being provided with a workspace to create their art. “Previously, because most of us live in rented houses, it was difficult to make pottery in our house,” says Konjolema Werke, chairwoman of the Association. “Although I managed to build my own house recently, most members of the Association still live in rented houses.”
Yeshibirrget Ayele, a 46-year old mother of six, is one of the women who reside in a rented house. She came to Addis Ababa five years ago from the Merhabete Woreda in the North Shoa Zone of the Amhara Regional State to find a stable market for her products. Back in her hometown, Yeshibirrget used to make baking plates and water pots. But now she is making big coffee pots, which can hold up to three and a half litres. “I benefited by entering the Association because now I have a working space,” says Yeshibirrget.
Although making pottery may appear to be a captivating profession, it is also a very physically demanding job. First, raw materials need to be collected directly from a river’s shingle bed. Once dried, the clay needs to be milled with a large wooden crusher. The clay powder will then be mixed with water and formed into various shapes and dimensions.
The process to create products involves many steps. Potters like Yeshibirrget use simple tools, like a stone made from marble, to roll and shape the clay. A few hours later, when the pottery is half dry, it will be ready to smoothen by using a knife. When it’s fully dried, potters use rough paper to even out rough edges. Finally, the products will be burnt by fire to gain maximum strength and will be ready for sale thereafter. To increase the aesthetic value of the products, the items may undergo another stage of painting for decoration.
The artisans themselves acknowledge the difficulty of the work they do: “Passion and patience are the two pillars needed to stay in this profession,” says Genet. “This is because the job is challenging. But, I love my job very much because I [can make a] living.” Based on EBR’s analysis, the average income of potters reaches ETB500 per week but could be higher if one manages to produce goods with higher aesthetic appeal that can be used as decorations for living rooms, hotels, and galleries. Such items are mainly sold in souvenir shops because foreign tourists often pay more money for these goods.
Creating an object from clay is an ancient art and tradition in Ethiopia. In early history, people made different kinds of pottery largely for functional purposes. Since then, potters have prospected raw earth to create objects that have withstood the test of time.
Although different pottery products are still part of the everyday life of the society, in Ethiopia, pottery making is sometimes seen as a less-than-honourable profession. The production is often done by groups who often face discrimination, such as Chinasha of the Wellaita; Fuga of the Gurage in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State; the Ballaje of Northern Shoa and South Wolo of the Amhara region; and the Kayla people in Tigray Regional state. There are also few more in other parts of the country. The ones in Kechene came to Addis Ababa from North Shoa during the establishment of the city. They accompanied Emperor Minelik II from Ankober, his former base. They were later joined with others from Merhabete, Fitche and Moret, all in North Shoa.
In Ethiopia, pottery artisans still employ antiquated tactics to complete their work. Potters still dig the clay using a simple hand tools, mix the clay with water using their hands, shape the clay with a simple clay slab roller or wheel, and burn it on an open fire.
Girma Woldesemayat, a lecturer at the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design at Addis Ababa University, says the fact that potters in Ethiopia utilize traditional methods restricts their abilities to penetrate the international market. “Although the products have a good quality, considering the way of manufacturing, it has never transferred to mass production,” he says. “This is partly because those industries that can produce working materials and equipments for potters are not available in the country.”
Indeed, potters like Yeshibirrget say a lack of modern ways of making pottery is concerning and threatening the continuity of the arts, culture and traditions embodied in pottery.“I don’t want my children to labour like I do,” says Yeshibirget.EBR

3rd Year • July 16 – August 15 2015 • No. 29