MAIRO WOMEN FOUNDATION USHAFA

OI's Project

PROMOTING AWARENESS ON CULTURAL TREASURES FOR FCT ORIGINAL INHABITANTS ON POT-MAKING

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

On the 9th of November, 2021, the Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education with support from MacArthur Foundation implored the services of the Original Inhabitants Organizations (OIOs) in the FCT to collaborate in the Promotion of the Rights of the Original Inhabitants (OIs) in the FCT through the Sub – Grantee Project. As a sub-grantee beneficiary in this project, Mairo Women Foundation Ushafa tagged her project: PROMOTING AWARENESS ON CULTURAL TREASURES OF THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF THE FCT; REVAMPING THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE OIS THROUGH POT MAKING (POTTERY) The scope of this project cuts across the six area councils in the FCT and is also targeted at the teaming marginalized youths of the original inhabitants to enable them rise to the occasion of over powering the economic and socio-cultural rights challenges faced through the urbanization of the FCT by promoting awareness on cultural treasures as well as capacity building and advocating for the preservation of the cultural repository and pot-making.

BRIEF HISTORY OF USHAFA POTTERY

Ushafa pottery was established in 1991 during the “Better life program for rural women” by former First lady, late Mrs. Mariam Babangida as a women skills acquisition centre. The centre was divided into two sections: Modern and traditional sections. The modern is a contemporary section where instruments such as potters’ wheel used in making pottery. It also serves as a research
centre and accommodates IT students from various high institutions all over the country.

Few metres away from the modern pottery section is situated the traditional pottery production square. The section is made up of little round huts, depicting the traditional Ushafa house pattern. The huts were constructed by government and given out for free of charge to Ushafa women potters as encouragement. Ushafa traditional technology (arts and crafts) includes: the legendary pottery works, weaving of mats, hats and bags, dying of clothes (tie and die) known as Ajesinda. Among these crafts, the pottery tradition is the most popular and has brought much fame to the community. Ushafa Pottery Centre which is 40 kilometres away from Abuja city centre is simply amazing, as many prominent personalities like former US President Bill Clinton, and others international dignitories have visited Ushafa because of the pottery tradition and other cultural heritage of the community.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

The original inhabitants of the Federal capital territory (FCT) have been greatly marginalized as a National Indigenous Entity in the past four decades following the establishment of the FCT, the Federal Capital City of Nigeria. This movement have the following negative impact on the original inhabitants across the FCT:

  • Loss of Homes: they had their homes, barns huts and shelters destroyed forcefully without adequate compensation for relocation or resettlement and as a result many have become refugees in their own mother land and been replaced by other citizens of same nationality who still own their ancestral homes across the states.
  • Loss means of Livelihood: following the displacement due to urbanization and development, they have lost their ancestral skills of local weaving, hat knitting, bags, cloth, pot-making amongst others.
  • Loss Heritage: as a result of resettlement over many decades, they lost their heritage and attempts to claim them back have hit the rocks. Estates and other major national projects have erased their local pottery centres called “Agoknu” dye pits etc. they now depend on clay dug out from soak aways as means to source for clay. Sometimes they also have to travel far to get other materials like kaolin, firewood, clay etc.
  • Loss of Identity: the original inhabitants of the FCT have been dispersed and displaced from their ancestral homes to other neighboring states, consequently losing and right to own their political rights like other citizens of the nation.

Poor Education: the original inhabitants of the FCT have been plagued with poor education as most of the schools withing the FCT are privately owned with very high tuition making it practically impossible for them to afford as they only depend on the hocking on the streets and highways for survival.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives for this project include:

  • Revamping the dying OI cultural values, treasures and repositions through poetry, crafts, visual cuts, festivals and other cultural forms.
  • Empowering 500 young original inhabitant women through pottery apprentice system.
  • Increase the knowledge of OI women and girls about preventive measures, reporting channels and existing redress mechanisms on sexual and gender based violence (SGBV).
  • Promote collaboration and involvement of government, civil society organizations, professional bodies and art society in mainstreaming and protecting of pottery as an art and cultural heritage of original inhabitants.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

The measures and activities to be implemented under this project shall include;

  • Organizing exhibition, seminars, training symposia on OI arts and culture for OI women in pottery to enhance their pride, patronage and build capacity for younger generation.
  • Conducting advocacy, town hall meetings and working with influencers capable of using poem, drama, spoken word and social media – at least 10 influencers to inform and mobilize indigenous people and pressure government and its officials to address incidents of SGBV in FCT communities.
  • Conducting a three one day interface meetings with traditional leaders, religious groups, private sector, opinion leaders etc. who are indigenous and others in leadership positions in public and private sector to promote awareness against gender-based violence (SGBV) in the FCT communities.
  • Conduct OI community enlightenment campaign on the preservation of OI art and cultural heritage.
  • Conduct field tours and visits to OI arts sites – Ushafa Pottery village.
  • Running of 52 weekly radio programme on the patterns of urban plan (the Abuja master plan) in the FCT characterized by demolition of indigenous communities and homes without proper compensation and/or conscious efforts to preserve the cultural identity of the original indigenes of the FCT.
  • Airing 300 spots of one-minute radio jingle with catchy messages in local and English languages, calling government and public attention to OI arts and cultural treasures and preservation.
  • Public relation activities.
  • Conducting a two day training on ICT GESI and communication for Mairo Women Foundation staff and board members.

PROJECT DURATION

Projects are not permanent ventures and therefore assumes a terminal status that must end within a stipulated contractual agreed date. This project is given 2 (two) years timeline to be concluded with acceptable outcomes.

RESULT/OUTCOME STATEMENT

At the end of this project, we expect to see the under listed as our impacts;

  • Strengthen cultural rights of the FCT OIs
  • Improved documentation of OI culture in OI FCT cultural repositories
  • Document OI pottery in narratives such as documentaries, photo essays.
  • Increase awareness of the public on the OI of the FCT culture
  • Media engagements on OI pottery
  • Social media campaign on cultural repositions
  • Participate in CTA annual pottery exhibition
  • Improve capacity of OI on pottery making
  • Radio programmes on government economic empowerment programmes and platforms for pottery.

ADVOCACY BRIEFS/CONCLUSION

At the end of this project, we believe that the cultural heritage and lost value for antiquities of the OIs will be revamped and preserved. We also believe that the community leaders will provide space and support for the establishment of at least 10 micro pottery centres across FCT. We also believe that government will empower the trainees and also provide the structures as well give cognizance to the geological mineral resources before giving out land allocations for estate development. This will help ameliorate the sufferings of the OIs and promote the awareness on cultural treasures for FCT original inhabitants.