Pottery is an age old craft that dates back to the Neolithic Revolution where there was a transition from nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyles to agricultural and settlement. Baskets were perhaps the first useful handcrafts that stored the likes of grains but there was one problem: they couldn’t store liquids. Necessity dictated the creation of what would soon be known as vessels and pots. Clay was the soil or raw material in surplus and early pots were stacked with rings of clay which were smoothed out and fired in a bonfire. They would then be used to store and transport liquids. Over time, pottery became a part of ceramics which was the crafting of different items from clay.
This craft is unique and in Kenya, there are few skilled potters. Fridah Kamau prides herself as one of our #KeCrafters who specializes in ceramics. She describes herself as assertive. She takes pride in her passion for science and her love for art – and all this started in Kyeni Girls’ High School, Embu. Fridah was that student who excelled in the sciences. Her enthusiasm didn’t just ensure she attained a commendable grade but also earned her a ticket to Egerton University where she studied Chemistry. Four short years later, she joined the Pharmaceutical industry.
Even though she was a trained Chemist, she had an eye for art. Unlike her older brother or parents, she could identify a good piece when she saw one and started investing in pieces she liked. It wasn’t just paintings and wall art that got her attention; ceramics rose in her list of art that she wanted to collect, and when she finally purchased her first set of handmade pots, she took time to study the details of the work, trying to solve the equation of the process and time that went into the items. Then she had a thought: why not make these items too? The question became an idea which then transformed into a pursuit– to establish a studio that specialized in ceramics. While she wanted to own a business and employ skilled crafters, Fridah knew that she too had to have an understanding of the crafting process. In January 2013 she started taking pottery classes and after a year and a half embarked on the journey of setting up a studio. She found a clay supplier in Nyeri then she registered Udaka Pottery and found an ideal space in Ruiru. She soon learned that it would be a capital-intensive endeavor, one that she realized she couldn’t do alone. Her family stepped in to help her set up and purchase a pottery wheel and a kiln. Because she was still working as a chemist, she decided to assemble a team of skilled potters and soon realized that there weren’t that many skilled potters in Kenya let alone those who were familiar with modern equipment.
The hurdle was one she soon overcame and in the last quarter of 2014, inspired by the Zulu word for ‘clay’, she started Udaka Pottery. However, power soon proved to be an issue; it was unstable and operations had to be shut down in March 2015 as alternative solutions were considered. In the interim, to accumulate money for what would be the new and improved Udaka Pottery studio, Fridah continued with her main work. In January 2017, Udaka was back in business with a new team, reliable suppliers and a new location in Kitengela.
She was able to dedicate more time to her new studio which soon opened another shop closer to the CBD on Popo Road in South C. The process of converting clay into ceramics takes up to a month and involves a lot of science which, thankfully for Fridah, is something that comes easy to her. The crafting requires patience in order for the final product to be of quality but also beautiful. At present, Udaka is taking the initiative of inducting the next breed of potters by recruiting interns from Kenyatta University’s design students.
Indeed, Fridah Kamau is assertive and we applaud her unwavering spirit.
#KeCrafters
