About the maker
Ladi Kwali (c. 1925–1984) was probably the best known of the Abuja potters. Making pots was women’s work in the Nigerian villages, and she came to Abuja with a knowledge of traditional Nigerian pottery. The large pots used for water storage were made from spiralled coils of clay, beaten from the inside with an implement like a potter’s rib or a spoon, and fired in the open air by covering them in dry vegetation and lighting it.
She did not at first take to the idea of using wheels, kilns, and other paraphernalia of the European potter, but proved to have a natural ability to throw. Michael Cardew encouraged her to decorate her work, something she had not done before, and he even fired some of her traditional pieces in the Abuja kiln.
Ladi later became a very popular member of the touring lecture team; her easy nature and ability to communicate made her well liked and appreciated in Europe, Britain, and America. She became Nigeria’s best known potter and was honoured in many ways: she received a doctorate, the Abuja Pottery was renamed for her, and a major street in Abuja is called Ladi Kwali Road. The Sheraton Hotel houses the Ladi Kwali Convention Center. Her picture also appears on the Nigerian 20 Naira bill.
Awards and achievements:
MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), 1962
Honorary Doctorate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1977
Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM), 1980
Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), 1981