Heading along the dusty village roads, dodging chickens, cows and taxis, visitors arrive at Mukondeni Pot Village. Here, the Matriarch, Sarah Munyai, taught the women of the village to create clay pots in an age-old way by burying them in a fire pit. These practical and decorative pots, platters, vases, fire-pots and water filters are decorated with traditional patterns and symbols using ochre and graphite collected from the Luonde mountains.
Although you can also find these pots at Mukondeni Factory, the feeling of village life here, adds to the magic of the experience… women walking past with buckets of water on their heads or working with harvested corn cobs… chickens laying eggs in the deepest pots and dogs lazing in the sunbeams. So even if you just want to buy some pots and not take the time to learn how it is done, you will have a wonderful experience.
But first prize is for the gregarious Florah Randela to show you how to make a pot and feel the evocative, sensual feeling of clay between your fingers becoming a work of art. Sitting under a marula tree, knee to knee on a traditional grass mat on the ground, Florah takes your hands in hers and connects you to an ancient energy that flows through the clay. As you dig your hands deeper, and the pot emerges, the joy of creation and the sense of connection is immense.
Take a couple of hours or most of a day, depending on how much you want to get out of the process. Enquire through LOVE LIMPOPO about your options.
