Ladi Kwali

Ladi Kwali Ladi Kwali or Ladi Dosei Kwali, OON NNOM, MBE (c.1925– 12 August 1984) was a Nigerian potter, ceramicist and educator.

Ladi Kwali was born in the village of Kwali in the Gwari region of Northern Nigeria, where pottery was an indigenous occupation among women. She learned how to make pottery as a child by her aunt using the traditional method of coiling. She made large pots use for cooking pots, bowls, and flasks from coils of clay, beaten from the inside with a flat wooden paddle. They were decorated with incised geometric and stylized figurative patterns, including scorpions, lizards, crocodiles, chameleons, snakes, birds, and fish.

Her pots were noted for their beauty of form and decoration, and she was recognized regionally as a gifted and eminent potter. Several were acquired by the Emir of Abuja, Alhaji Suleiman Barau, in whose home they were seen by Michael Cardew in 1950.

Quotes

 * Hardwork minus Grace work equals destiny frustration.
 * Ladi Kwali's quote about hardwork.