Alternative approaches to indigenous pottery in northern Ghana

Not only has clay been shaped by human hands for thousands of years but the objects created by those hands also have shaped the daily lives of the people who used them. In addition to objects crafted to fulfill utilitarian needs, artists have formed clay into pots that communicated each era's deepest beliefs, its strongest communal emotions, aesthetic concerns, and most pressing spiritual aspirations in some parts of Ghana and the world at large. Indigenous pottery approaches, however, remain at the heart of cultural traditional decorative techniques, context and functions. These are unrefined and passed along through the generations, mother to daughter, hand to hand; which is making it very difficult to shape the daily lives of our northern Ghanaians in this age of rapid modernization of societies. This book is a trusted resource for students and potters from northern Ghana and the world at large. Not only does it take you through the steps and stages of alternative approaches to indigenous pottery in northern Ghana, but more importantly it offers rich philosophies and support that helps build confidence, set up and generates a positive orientation towards the task of pottery.

Autorentext

Yussif Iddrisu is an active artist who lectures indigenous technology in ceramics and leatherwork at Tamale Technical University, Ghana. As an indigenous pottery lover, he is a graduate (from the Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry, KKNUST; Kumasi, Ghana) who holds both B.A. and MPhil in Clay and Earthenware Technology.