Kano potters shape-up centuries-old business

It is hard for anyone to ignore the colourful display of various forms of clayware that adorn both sides of the road leading to Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State. Travelers along that route would need little effort to notice the visually-arresting exhibition of pottery, probably the only sign of economic activity in the […]

It is hard for anyone to ignore the colourful display of various forms of clayware that adorn both sides of the road leading to Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State. Travelers along that route would need little effort to notice the visually-arresting exhibition of pottery, probably the only sign of economic activity in the area, with youths pacing up and down, fixing their eyes constantly on motorists so as not to lose potential customers.
When Daily Trust stopped for a chat with the potters, about five of them quickly rushed and offered to bring wares in hope of a sale, or two. When this reporter explained his mission, one of the men led him to the oldest potter in the area, who delightedly explained the tricks of the pottery trade, and why it has survived all his time.
The 77-year-old man, Ado Yaro Rege, went down memory lane, and explained that pottery has been part of the people of Rege village for many years. “I cannot tell you exactly how long pottery has been practiced in this village. Right from childhood, I grew up to witness my parents doing this trade. I inherited the business myself and have been doing it until now that my age will not allow me to continue,” he said. However, oral history has it that pottery in the area began centuries ago.
“Now, it is only the youth that practice pottery because it involves the use of physical strength. What we the old people do is to only sell the products and give advice on how to maintain quality,” he added.  He recalled that the pottery market in Rege was transferred to the roadsides about 30 years ago in order to bring it to the attention of customers who ply the route from different destinations.
“We receive customers who make large purchases and transport the goods to different places both within and outside Nigeria. Our products are taken to places like neighbouring Jigawa, Maiduguri, and distant states such as Lagos, or even countries like Chad, Cameroun and Niger,” he said.
Rege said on a typical day, at the peak of demand, about 10 vehicles could be loaded with earthware to be transported to different locations. It was learnt that the various objects on display-vases, trays, gourds, cash vessels, frying pans, water and burial pots, charcoal pots, incense burners and many other clay-made articles all have their peculiar seasons of demand.
“For instance, when the harmattan season sets in, the demand for charcoal pots usually goes up because people want to warm themselves at home. Likewise, when the weather turns hot, people rush for water pots which they use to cool their drinking water especially in villages where there are no refrigerators,” the old potter explained. 
 But the main object that has kept the trade alive for several decades, according to the traders, is the burial pot whose purchase has nothing to do with season. “If not because of burial pots, pottery would have been history by now. “Mourners always come here to buy burial pots that they use to cover the graves of their loved ones. This is why we produce them in large numbers so as to satisfy the demand,” he said.
Another potter, Musa Ibrahim, 35, said he quit farming to join pottery because he did not want to abandon a trade he inherited from his father. “I was a farmer a few years ago, but when my father who was a veteran potter died, I had no choice but to start pottery in order not to allow the trade to die with him. Pottery is an unpredictable business, like many others, one day you sell lots of clayware and make profit and another day, you sell nothing.  Nonetheless, you can make an average of between N2,000 and N5,000 in a day,” he said.
A customer, Bako Maigado Gujungu, 65, told our reporter that he came all the way from Gujungu village in Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa State to buy the clay articles. “I often come here to buy pottery objects like coal and incense burners, water pots, frying pans, gourds and vases which I transport to my village to sell. Each time I come here, I purchase goods worth over N40,000,” he said.
When asked about the challenges they face, the potters lamented the scarcity of firewood, saying it affects their ability to meet demand. “That is what we use to bake the clayware. Firewood is now very expensive and if we insist of buying it like that we can end up with huge losses,” Ibrahim said, adding that in the absence of firewood, potters are forced to use grass.
“We have to buy grass at N250 per bunch to kiln the pottery articles and mix them with few logs of wood to heat the objects. This affects our profit which is already very small,” he added.
Suggesting the way forward for pottery,  Rege, the elderly potter, advocated the introduction of mechanized furnaces that will be used to bake the clay instead of using bare hands, which he said is discouraging for younger potters. “If the government can introduce modern furnaces for heating the objects, I believe the trade will be immensely improved. It will also arouse the interest of youth in the business and turn around lots of lives for the better,” he said.
“Moreover”, the potter added, “providing modern furnaces will reduce deforestation which is fueled by the increasing demand for firewood. We are aware that the government is always complaining about felling of trees which they say is harmful to us all.”
 On his part, Ibrahim recommended that even the process of moulding the clay should be modernized through the use of machines rather than by hand, which he said, is tedious and time-consuming.