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Traditional Pottery Experience

From: $70

Book your Experience Day below.
All are welcome- choose any day of the week! Groups of two or more adult guests: $90 per person; Children ages 5-15: visit for only $70 per child.  Young children under 5: visit for free!  Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount.  We offer special East Africa Resident rates as well! To learn more, please email us at
experiences@azizilife.com.   

Your visit makes a difference! In addition to a fair wage for your hosts, 5% of your entire payment is donated to Impact projects.

Have you ever wondered how they used to make pots and plates before the introduction of modern methods and kilns?  Join us for a Traditional Pottery Experience and take a step back in time.

Your day starts by going out into the fields to dig up and gather all the different materials you will need.  You will then be guided by expert artisans on how to clean and prepare the clay ready for moulding into the design of your choice.  Once you have created you very own pot or candle holder or piggy bank, the items are left in the sun to dry a bit while you enjoy a simple local meal with your host family, with plenty of time to chat and learn about each other’s lives.

After lunch it is time to build the fire and learn how to cook your clay creations in the traditional way.  After your items have been successfully fired and cooled down, it’s time for farewells and to drive back from the village to town.

The day finishes at the Azizi Life office, with a cold Fanta and a chance to think back over the highlights of the day. There you can also browse through some of the beautiful crafts made by the Azizi Life artisans and do a little fair trade shopping.

Photos by Jennifer Sophie.

To book your own Experience and spend a day becoming a Traditional Rwandan Potter:

  1. Who is Coming? Choose your adult guests.
  2. Choose the date you would like to visit.
  3. Choose the number of adult guests coming.
  4. Select Add to Cart.
  5. Repeat this process for each age group of guests.

Coming with young children?  Kids under 5 join in for free!  Just let us know in the Notes section of your checkout.  We love including toddlers and little ones in the day and even have specialist facilitators.

For discounts on groups of more than 9 guests, or if you would simply like a bit more information, please do not hesitate to email us on experiences@azizilife.com or call us in Rwanda on +250-7858-1146.  

This Experience starts from Azizi Life’s office & boutique in Muhanga Town (about a one hour drive from Kigali).  We would be happy to help arrange transport to Azizi Life Muhanga and so if you need that, just let us know.

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SKU: N/A Category: Experiences Tags: clay, culture, day trips, Kigali, Muhanga, Pottery, rwanda, Rwanda tours, things to do, things to do in Kigali, things to do in rwanda, top things to do, tours, workshops
  • Description
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Description

Example Day

08.30Welcome & Introduction at Azizi Life in Muhanga.
08.45Depart Azizi Life.
09.00Arrive in your rural host community.
Welcome by the artisan cooperative.
09.05Go to the family home of your artisan host, share introductions, and add a bit of local dress to your attire.
09.15Collecting all materials needed to create your own product (candle holder, piggy bank or diffuser). Such as clay, woods, grass and water.prefer.
10.30Guided by your translator together with the artisans, you will be shown how to clean and prepare the clay. You will then start designing the products of your choice that will be soon baked into fire once they are dry. 
12.40Lunch:  The artisans will serve a cooked vegetarian meal typical for local families, such as cassava and beans.
This is a good time to ask your hosts about life in their community.  They may have questions for you too about life in your home country.
13.40Build the fire and bake your own clay product.
15.30Farewell & departure from your host community.
15.45Arrive back at Azizi Life Muhanga for a cold drink and a chance to reflect on your Experience.
16:00

 

Finally, there will be opportunity to peruse all of the beautiful, handcrafted goods on offer from our artisan partners- including your hostesses!  This is a wonderful way to gather gifts and souvenirs which you can be confident are fair trade and making an impact.

How to Prepare for Your Visit:

  • Men may wear trousers or shorts. Women should wear trousers or a skirt that covers the knees, as Rwandan women usually don’t show their knees.
  • We recommend that you wear closed-toed shoes: Walking shoes are useful on the paths, which can be steep and slippery. You might want to bring a spare pair of shoes, as one pair may get muddy if you work in the fields.
  • Be prepared to spend time in the sun.
  • Bring a camera or video camera if you wish; the artisans and their families won’t mind.
  • Bring reading glasses if you need them for craft work.
  • Don’t be anxious! The artisans work for hours at a time, but they know you are from a different culture and are unlikely to be able to work so hard or for long. They won’t laugh if you don’t get the hang of an activity. Or rather, they may well laugh, because they take great pleasure in life, but they will be laughing with you, not at you. You can opt out of any activity at any point, and choose instead to sit and watch.
  • There will be a translator with you; feel free to ask as many questions as you wish.
  • Please let us know in advance if you have any food allergies. Food served may contain nuts.
  • Ensure that you have health insurance to cover your visit. We do all we can to ensure your safety during your visit. In the case of an accident, we will ensure you get appropriate medical attention. However, you must cover the costs through your insurance.

You Should Also Know That:

  • Some of the paths are steep and can be slippery after rain, but you will be given a hand if you need it.
  • You will be supplied by Azizi Life with plenty of bottled drinking water.
  • The food is thoroughly cooked: no previous visitors have become ill after eating it. However, if you prefer not to eat, or to eat just a little, you will not offend your host.
  • Soap and water are available for washing your hands.
  • Each house has a pit latrine.
  • We will bring a first aid kit, hand sanitizer and toilet paper.
  • Your hosts are a lovely group of women, young and older. They and their families will make you feel welcome, without making a fuss. They know that you are coming to gain an understanding of what rural life is like in Rwanda and will encourage you to join in with their daily routine.
  • Sometimes other members of the community come and stare at white visitors for a while, as white people are seldom seen in rural communities. They are simply curious.
  • Very occasionally, in the community, a neighbor may ask you for money. People often ask each other for money here, and are not offended by a refusal. They are all the more likely to ask a white visitor, as Rwandans often think that white people are fabulously rich. If asked for money, it is best to say no. Your visit is already benefiting the community: the artisan group earns a fair wage for your visit, often saving their payment in a joint account and then spending it on something substantial such as a cow. Their families benefit directly, and so does the wider community. This is because a host will often pay a neighbor to work her fields while she is busy hosting your visit. Additionally, we donate 5% of tourism revenues to our local nonprofit, Azizi Life Impact, for community development work.

 

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Abarikumwe Association

The women of Abarikumwe are skilled farmers, excellent weavers, and delightful Experiences hostesses. One of Azizi Life’s first artisan partner groups, Abarikumwe has grown together with us, with much laughter along the way. The Abarikumwe artisans specialize in weaving jewelry from natural sisal fibers. We are honored to introduce you to the creators of the very first Azizi Life Experience Day!

Go to artisan's page

Meet the Artisan

 

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Our Artisan Partners

Our Artisan
Partners

Across the hills of Rwanda, groups of rural artisans are working to bring hope to their families through skillfully handcrafted goods. Azizi Life partners with over 30 independent groups- a total of over 500 artisan partners. Rising from the horrors of genocide, artisans from all backgrounds have joined together once again through their craft. Each artisan cooperative specializes in hand crafting products using specific techniques and raw materials. Azizi Life is honored to partner with these women and men, collaborating to connect makers, designers, and customers around the world.



Our Products

Our
Products

We love serving your vision for beauty and meaning in the gifts you give, what you wear, and how you decorate. Azizi Life serves as a bridge, partnering with artisans and designers to offer high quality, ethically-sourced goods for life and gifting. Products are crafted by hand using local, natural, and renewable materials. Our modern and traditional collections include baskets, woven bowls, home décor, tabletop, woven jewelry, and bags. Azizi Life offers products to US customers from our warehouse in Spokane, Washington, as well as FOB sales directly from Rwanda.



Our Mission

Our
Mission

Azizi Life is a fair trade organization which partners with Rwandan artisans to bring beautifully designed, hand crafted goods to the world. As a not-for-profit organization, Azizi Life is dedicated to the wellbeing of our artisan partners and their families. In addition to opening economic opportunity through fair trade, Azizi Life invests in a range of community impact projects. Our Rwandan-led team facilitates adult literacy classes and offers other practical resources for personal, spiritual, and economic growth.

 
  • Contact Us


    US Postal Address

    Azizi Life
    708 Pond View Drive
    Audubon, PA 19403-1710

    Rwanda Postal Address

    Azizi Life
    PO Box 146, Muhanga,
    Southern Province, Rwanda

    Email

    greetings@azizilife.com


    Returns Policy

    click here for details

    Rwanda Phone

    +250 785 781 146


    Shipping Policy

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