Retro Africa To Screen Documentary On Nigerian Female Potter, Entrepreneur & Mentor, Ladi Kwali

Retro Africa, an Abuja-based gallery popular for its rare but quality exhibitions featuring internationally exhibited Nigerian and African artists, is set to screen a documentary on the late female artist, Ladi Kwali.
Ladi Kwali is arguably the first northern female artist a potter to achieve commercial success of her work whilst alive, operating a pottery workshop and studio in lifetime.

Titled ‘The Enduring Legacy of Ladi Kwali’, the documentary directed by Dr Jareh Das, edited by Elana Joseph with Adewole Dada as cinematographer, and Andrew Esiebo in charge of still photography. It was funded by the Paul Mellon Center for Studies in British Art, the Decorative Art Society and the Art Council England Developing Your Creative Practice.

To produce the documentary Das and a team of researchers consulted archives on Kwali’s legacy at the Craft Study Center, York Museum Trust, National Archive of Nigeria, Kaduna, and the Kwali family archives in Suleja, Abuja.

The screening will be followed by a panel discuss featuring Das, Japhet Kineze, Andrew Esiebo and Dolly Kola-Balogun on the making of the documentary, the legacy of Ladi Dosei Kwali (1921-1984), in addition to sharing insights on the matrilineal pottery traditions in Nigeria, exploring its social and cultural innovations, challenges and enduring significance.

The discuss will further examine how the newer generation can engage with historical pottery legacies to ensure they remain vibrant, relevant and impactful for future generations.