/ARTS WEEKLY/CULTURE-MALAWI: A Potter’s Paradise

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Charles Mkoka

BLANTYRE, Dec 23 2003 (IPS) - Ngumbe Trading Centre, located about three kilometres from the main airport, could pass for any ordinary market place in Malawi.

Between 1970 and 1980s the centre used to be a hub for the miners that trekked to South Africa to look for greener pastures in the gold mines. They would spend a few days at the trading centre, which was used as assembling point, before proceeding to South Africa.

A stone’s throw from the centre is a shabby, old house along the road that leads to the commercial capital of Malawi, Blantyre. Clearly scribbled on the wall are two words, “Bakali Ceramics”, with a picture of one of the works of the potter.

It takes keen interest to discover what happens inside the building. What surprise visitors is a Stone Age kiln the potter uses to smelt iron in the 21st century.

The kiln is used to heat the pottery before it is decorated with the colours of the client’s choice.

Sammie John Bakali, a trained potter on ceramics, runs the shop with two of his assistants Patrick Bakali, his son, and Rhodrick Chimwaza, an employee.

While in his workshop Bakali, who dons tattered cloths, braces himself for dirt that goes with his work. He likes cracking jokes as he works on the potter’s wheel where he puts the final touches to the items to look the way his clients want.

Like curios, the end products assist greatly in promoting tourism.

Most visitors that come to Malawi prefer to get a share of this rare art, endemic to this part of the world. Many that come from other continents get the souvenirs as remembrance for their overseas visits. During festive seasons, like Christmas and the New Year, business in crafts skyrocket due to increased demand from visitors.

Crafts play an important role in Malawi’s development through creation of employment. Many rural Malawians depend on crafts for their livelihoods.

This is in line with the government policy of diversifying Malawi’s economic base. The underlying factor is poverty reduction for the rural Malawian through sustainable development.

“Culture tourism is something we want to promote for Malawi. This is the type of tourism that should benefit Malawians. Tourists want to learn more about our culture. And it is through this kind of art that they learn more about Malawi,” says Patricia Liabuba, assistant director of tourism.

“As a Ministry of Tourism we are looking for originality, creativity, uniqueness and high standard of quality crafts like those produced by Bakali. These artefacts should depict our real culture,” she says.

Bakali, a workaholic, sometimes spends the night at the workshop to meet the orders placed by clients who travel long distances to buy pottery.

He produces vibrant pottery that includes quality flower vase, pots of any kind, as well as large hotel flowerpot of various sizes.

Ceramic falls in line with recently launched ‘one village one product project’ that identifies items which the villagers produce. The government identifies a market for the products locally and internationally.

The ‘One village one product’ concept originates from Oyita, Japan where within a short space of time it turned Oyita into a vibrant economic area. On a recent visit there, President Bakili Muluzi was impressed with the tremendous economic development the project has brought to the Japanese. When he returned home, Muluzi launched a similar project in Malawi.

Bakali acquired his knowledge from Christopher Steven, a Greek volunteer working for St. Martins Anglican Church, in 1983. Steven trained 17 Malawians in the production of pottery at Malindi, a small town on the east bank of Lake Malawi.

The original plan was to train church members voluntarily so that proceeds from ceramic products could be used to run church operations. However, church members registered no interest to learn this lucrative trade.

Bakali, then 22 years of age, volunteered to acquire the technical knowledge of producing ceramics from Steven. The initial production generated enough income for the church.

The team created a name that started to spread like bushfire in ceramic production, under Steven’s supervision.

Steven returned to Greece in 1983, leaving behind a crop of Malawians that was the best in ceramic production.

But the Malindi pottery was rocked with financial crisis, something which prompted Bakali to quit and set up his private firm.

Since then Bakali has been operating along the airport road where travellers, mostly foreign tourists, can catch a good view of his works.

Initially, not many Malawians were accustomed to ceramics, said Bakali in an exclusive interview to IPS at his shop.

“It took time for the people to accept them as quality products,” Bakali says. “Now people come to ask for ceramics from as far as Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. This is a sign that they appreciate the quality of my products.”

Bakali recently clinched a small but significant contract to produce ceramics for President Muluzi. His works were noticed by Muluzi on his way to Blantyre from the airport.

“I am glad that my efforts have started to be recognised countrywide,” Bakali says.

“I was invited to State House and given K30,000 (280 dollars) as a token of appreciation for my work from president Bakili Muluzi,” Bakali says.

He uses ‘dambo’ clay, an ideal soil for ceramic production, dug half a metre from the ground.

After collecting the clay, the soil is sieved in a potter mesh to remove sand and debris so that it is ideal for production of ceramics. The soil is taken through various processes and stages.

Depending on the weather, the soil is taken to a drying zone where it can stay for close to three days. It is later removed and taken to a storage zone where it can stay for over a month without drying or losing its potency.

Bakali uses locally available material like the guitar string – as a cutting wire – to slice the soil in portions he wants. Unwanted particles are removed. The soil is also wedged to remove air bubbles which if not detected leads to the cracking of ceramics. The soil is taken to a potter wheel to be processed according to the product they wish to produce.

“All this is potter’s language,” explains Bakali, laughing.