30 years into pottery, potter decries low patronage

Lami Samuel was born into pottery. She grew up helping her mother mold pottery wares but she never showed passion for the trade until her mother passed on. Since then, Lami has improved what has turned out to be a family business. At the age of seven, when she started helping her mother, her dreams […]

Lami Samuel was born into pottery. She grew up helping her mother mold pottery wares but she never showed passion for the trade until her mother passed on.
Since then, Lami has improved what has turned out to be a family business. At the age of seven, when she started helping her mother, her dreams were different; she wanted to be a petty trader.
During her early years as a potter, she had nurtured the dream, hoping to get enough money from pottery to start her petty trading but 30 years later, she is yet to achieve that. Her fears now are that she might not be able to fulfill her dream.
Though versatile and hardworking, the proceeds from the pottery business are barely enough for her to make it a live-long trade.
She is a housewife in Yaupe, a community in Bwari  Area Council of the FCT. She seemed to have given up on her dreams and now concentrates on taking care of her family. She is married to the community’s head with seven children, none of whom has shown interest in the family trade.
“She would have prefered to sell provisions but then, she has stayed long in pottery due to lack of fund to start the business,” explained Lami’s son, Solomon Idi, who interpreted in English.
She treks for about two hours to Usuma Dam where she digs the clay used in the pottery works. She looked tired and much older than a woman in her early 40s.
The trek to Usuma Dam on a rough and bushy pathway is the least she undertakes.
Her method of pottery is without modern equipment, subjecting her to untold hardship. The pots are crafted from improvised tools made from calabash, bamboo, clothing materials and sticks.
She pounds, sieves and mixes the clay with obsolete tools with great difficulties. Though the trade comes with some benefits, including a boost to her ingenuity and creativity, there are risks involved as well.
She said it is saddening to see some of the pots break while firing or on her way to the Bwari Market. Notwithstanding, she wakes up daily hoping with perseverance she would end up with her dream job.
She said though she desired to keep the trade which has turned to a family tradition, but times have changed. While comparing patronage  of yesteryears to today, she said most people do not use pots anymore unlike during the days of her mother.
She identified low patronage among factors limiting her from making enough profit.
In a bid to cut cost, she treks more than four hours to Bwari Market with the pots.
 “She stacks the pots in a net in two rolls of six pieces each, tie them up  and carry to the market on her head,” Solomon explained, adding that she does that every market day, once in a week.
She makes N1,200 every market day. She sells a pot for N100 and can only carry 12 pieces to the market.
She explained how she spends her N1,200 profit, “Instead of trekking another four hours back to the community, I will board a motorcycle for about N300, buy seasonings and some condiments.”
Also, in an attempt to support her husband who is a farmer, she sometimes buys herbicides for him,.
 “Now you see that if she is doing this trade for several years, she can’t make enough money to start a provision business but she has not given up,” Solomon said.