Photos: From mother to daughter, Tunisia potters pass on ancestral know-how
Updated On May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST
Women from Sejnane in northern Tunisia are keeping alive an ancient tradition of creating pottery with all-natural materials. The region is also planning to build a museum and training centre to preserve its local know-how. But the young Tunisians mostly prefer black ink and chemicals, rather than take the time to collect and extract natural materials.
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Updated on May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST
Sabiha Ayari, a Tunisian potter in her fifties, works in the village of Sejnane in the northern Tunisian province of Bizerte. She is among the women keeping alive an ancient tradition of creating pottery with all-natural materials. Using skills handed down from generation to generation, she extracts red and white clay from local wadis to craft terracota artefacts, such as dolls and animal figurines as well as cooking utensils for the kitchen. (Fethi Belaid / AFP)
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Updated on May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST
Pottery crafted in Sejnane is displayed at a souvenir shop. Sejnane has plans to build a museum and training centre to preserve its local know-how. The pottery, mostly cream-coloured with black and red motifs, was added in 2018 to the prestigious “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organisation. (Fethi Belaid / AFP)
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Updated on May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST
Ayari seen mixing the clay with crushed brick, prepared by her sister-in-law, to strengthen the raw material. The bricks are a rare nod to modern methods, as in the past shattered old pots were used. After a days long drying process, the pots are varnished with a thin coat of white clay. Some are then decorated with red-ochre earth. (Fethi Belaid / AFP)
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Updated on May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST
Seated in her lean-to overlooking the family lands, she scoops up the clay and spends most of her time fashioning utensils as well as stylised tortoises and horses. The women of Sejnane make and decorate their artisan pottery with natural elements from the agricultural region. (Fethi Belaid / AFP)
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Updated on May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST
Pottery crafted in Sejnane is displayed at a souvenir shop. Sejnane has plans to build a museum and training centre to preserve its local know-how. The pottery, mostly cream-coloured with black and red motifs, was added in 2018 to the prestigious “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organisation. (Fethi Belaid / AFP)
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Updated on May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST
There are no sophisticated tools used, no modern ovens, just the sole of a shoe for the burnishing process and a stick for decorating the pieces with the juice of leaves collected from mastic trees. The items are then heated on an open hearth fired by dried dung, turning the juice from green to black. “This is how all kitchen utensils were made when I was little,” says Ayari. “They didn’t realise the value of these objects.” (Fethi Belaid / AFP)
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Updated on May 16, 2019 03:17 PM IST