Travel Guide Motiamo

The Dêgha village of Motiamo, 10 km from Bondoukou, is specialized in the art of pottery. An ancestral skill passed down from mother to daughter, it is the main occupation and source of income for the locality, since the various everyday and decorative objects made here are sold throughout the region via the large market in Bondoukou, every Sunday in the Djiminisso district. A visit that promises to be fascinating, both to discover the history of this tradition and to shop for pretty (and fragile) souvenirs to bring back. Pottery making. Motiamo pottery is made from black clay collected from the source of the Tanguin River in the neighboring village of Willekehi, which the women artisans mix with red clay to obtain a more consistent material from which to shape pots, jars, canaries, bowls and decorative objects in various animal forms. Once the desired shape is obtained, the unfired material is smoothed with a pebble and decorated with ornamental motifs, using seeds or corn kernels. The beautiful shiny black color of the bowls is obtained by smoking them in grass, then immersing them in a decoction of cashew tree bark. As for the ochre red of the vases, jars and canaries, it results from the engobage undergone before the cooking. Spectacular, it is done in several stages on a clear surface. In order to prevent them from bursting, the pottery is first pre-fired on a fire of lit embers. A large bundle of branches and dry grass is then laid out on the ground, on which several series of pots are piled and covered with another layer of branches and dry grass. Once lit, the fire is maintained by regularly adding dried grass and the cooking continues until there is no flame, a process that can take several hours. The cooked pot can be recognized by the clear, dry sound it makes. Removed from the brazier with a large fork, it is then immersed in lit straw for smoking, and then in a decoction that will give the finished object its color and shine. The quality of the artisanal firing practiced in Motiamo gives the pottery an excellent resistance to thermal and mechanical shocks, most certainly due to the choice and arrangement of the herbs and branches used. Perfectly waterproof, the jars and canaries made here preserve water and food with surprising efficiency