Truth is I ventured to Abuja to visit a friend for a long weekend with little expectation. A fellow junkie traveller of mine had mentioned that there was a pottery centre near the Nigerian Law School that was worth visiting. So I dragged my reluctant friend along in an Uber and set on the 35 minute journey to Bwari to see what this pottery village was all about. Here is my journey:
Quick pit stop to admire the beauty around
Approaching the pottery village. The Nigerian Law School in Bwari was a few hundred metres away from the pottery village
Yay, we arrived but sure that last mile was a bumpy ride.
The workshop at the village where the owner “Stephen Myha” met with us and gave us a free tour of the village and educated us in the process of pottery
My potter gadget
Off to the kiln
Chilling by the Kiln. Its impressive how they use traditional techniques to ascertain the temperature and define where exactly products go.
Local products used to color products. Stephen explained to us that all raw materials for creating the products are sourced locally (This is what we need in Nigeria)
Yours truly making her own “Sassy” branded bowl which I have to pick up once processed.
Gems for sale at very reasonable prices
A shot with my travel companion.
What did I like?: Everything about the village. Such an authentic environment and process. Also the drive from Abuja (not too long).
What I didn’t like?: I didn’t get to see the furnace and painting in operation. But I believe I could have called in advance to find out timings.
Would I go back?: Not necessarily unless my mission was to buy products for my future house. Nevertheless it was a lovely day out and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.
Do you know of other gems like this which are “off the beaten path” that we all should definitely explore either here in Nigeria or abroad?
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