If you appreciate craft products, you probably know these little knick-knacks with Berber motifs. This pottery can be found almost everywhere, but did you know that its origin comes from a little town in Tunisia called Sejnane?
These useful utensils and knick-knacks quickly became exotic products that are highly demanded all around the world. But what you may not know is that this pottery which is inspired by primitive art is entirely made by hand by some brave and courageous women, in the region of Sejnane, a small town located in the north of Tunisia.
On the roadside, between Sejnane and Cap Serrat, you can find many women that sell different sorts of pottery. Since the dawn of time, these “potters” have made this pottery in the same way. We call them “Sejnane potters”.
Sejnane potters have inherited their technique from their mothers and grandmothers and didn’t bring any change to it. Until today, they rigorously respect the traditional technique to make pottery. Cooking and modeling techniques remained primitive. On their small land known as clayey and not very fertile, these brave women succeeded where other people failed: spreading their know-how all around the world with very few resources.
Potters knead red ocher clay with their own hands, and give shapes to their imagination. Even if the beginnings weren’t very easy for these artisans, today Sejnane pottery is recognized all over the world. A beautiful tribute to these courageous women.
photo credit: Atelier Cultures 5
