This pottery shop sells traditional pottery made by village women in northern Morocco who have been encouraged to produce traditional pottery by a volunteer group behind the project. These same volunteers not only run the shop, but also drive to these often remote villages to collect the pottery.
Using the available soil, the pottery has a natural feel and is usually decorated in brown and black geometric designs. Completely natural, these dyes come from ground up leaves and rocks and are painted onto the pots with a donkey hair that acts as a paint brush.
Not only has this project aided in the survival of a traditional craft, but has also provided the women with money and independence. Even the young boys have started to get in on the act, making pottery animals to be sold. While some of the girls who don't want to make pots because it makes their hands large and ugly, are instead doing embroidery, which is also sold at the shop.
The shop can be found at Extension du complexe des potiers a Oulja-Sale, or on the Rabat side of the Sale Pottery Complex.
3 comments:
Ooh, I'd much rather do pottery -- all that lovely cold damp clay -- and have ugly hands than have to do needlework. The thought makes me shudder!
Welcome back home!
Beautiful! And a little jealous that I've left Morocco, as I never got to see this.
Oh well, next time insha'allah!
Yes, well I've known about the pottery for a while but it has taken me ages to get there. By the sound of things it will be around for a while, hopefully when you return.
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