One of the most widely used currency notes in Nigeria is the twenty naira (20), and many Nigerians are curious about the identities of the people depicted on it. Former Nigerian military leader Murtala Muhammad is pictured on the front, and Ladi Kwali, whose biography we are presenting to you today, is pictured on the back.
Dr. Hadiza Ladi Kwali, the woman depicted on the reverse of the twenty naira note, was one of Nigeria’s best-known and most successful potters.
Around 1925, Ladi Kwali was born in the sleepy village of Kwali, which is now part of Abuja. Her birth year has been disputed by some historians.
The meaning of her first name, Ladi, is “born on Sunday,” and the meaning of her last name, Kwali, is the name of the village where she was born.
Her ancestors have a history in pottery. Her aunt taught her how to make pottery when she was a child by coiling and pinching.
Ladi Kwali’s traditional and cultural surroundings inspired her to create pottery pieces that were influenced by the Gbagyi tradition and enhanced with personal idioms in her early years as a professional potter.
She crafted large cooking and water storage pots from coils of clay that were beaten from the inside with a flat wooden paddle and embellished with incised geometric and stylized figurative patterns.
Alhaji Suleiman Barau, the emir of Abuja, purchased a complete collection after falling in love with Kwali’s artwork.
When an English studio potter named Michael Cardew first saw her work in 1950 at the Emir’s palace, he was astounded by the caliber of her skill. As a result, he stayed behind with the intention of promoting her work throughout the world.
In Abuja, where he hired and trained men, Michael discovered the first pottery training. She was the first woman to enroll at the Abuja Pottery Center, where she studied slip use, saggar production, kiln firing, wheel throwing, glazing, and glazing. Eventually, she assumed the position of instructor.
Her life was drastically altered by Cardew. Nigeria’s most well-known potter, Ladi Kwali, became well-known throughout the world.
On Nigeria’s Independence Day in 1960, her artwork was on view.
As part of her well-known tour of London, she displayed her pottery creations and received the distinction of Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
She received a doctorate degree from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Kaduna State in 1977 despite never having attended school; she also worked there as a part-time lecturer and demonstrator.
The highest national award for academic achievement, the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOM), was bestowed upon her by the Nigerian government (from the Cabinet Office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) in 1980. In 1981, she was also awarded the distinction of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
In the early 1980s, the Abuja Pottery changed its name to Ladi Kwali Pottery. The late General Muhammed Muritala is depicted on the front of the 20 naira note from Nigeria, the only woman there is Ladi Kwali.
