Birukti Tewolde, also goes by the nickname of ‘Emama Shekela’, was born and raised around Kazanchis, an area located in Addis Ababa. Birukti spends most of her weekends playing and exploring with children in her neighborhood. She loves allowing children exploring nature so as to give them space from screen and television time.
Not only the children made spending their weekends at her house a habit but they also named the house ‘Ye Emama mud house’. She loved the name and used it for the clay house training center she founded with a little improvising ‘Emama Shekela’.
Birukti left her country and flew to The Netherlands, Europe 16 years ago. However, life was not a bed of roses or a bed of thorns for her. She was able to take a course on painting and clay work. But again, she came to understand that painting was not her call in life, rather she fell in love with clay work.
The people around her told her to continue the painting career recognizing that she was gifted with a talent for painting. Just for the pleasure of her guardians, she decided to take the class once a week even though deep down she knew she fell in love with clay work rather than painting.
When she realized that clay work does not require huge capital and could be worked anywhere, she decided to return to her home country. After seven years of leading an immigrant life, she returned to her beloved country to carry out the activity of her passion and what she loves most.
Birukti took short term training on clay work again and received a certificate from Federal Small and Medium Bureau Training Center. She then started providing training for children, fistula patients and students in various areas.
Similarly, she started a shared association with her friends that produces less fuel consuming stoves made of clay named ‘Laqech’ and ‘Merecha’. They were able to hire many women in the association.
Unlike most clay artists/workers that work through experience that are limited to single products, she tried producing different types of clay works such as vase, pot, stove, among others.
Most artists in Ethiopia are undervalued and given different names. However, the experience in other countries such as the country she stayed in is very different from Ethiopia. She said: “I personally do not have a bad experience, though several people have questioned the reason why I joined in clay work. But I never took it personally and let it affect me in any way.”
Sharing her experience, she said that societal attitudes towards clay works are still very backward. When she tried to approach many destitute people to offer training, many felt offended though they led a miserable life. Even those women who were assigned from districts to take part in the training do not feel happy. The main reason, as to her, is the wrong perception that the society held towards the clay work for so long.
Despite all this, Birukti never gets tired of talking about clay work. The fact that it is natural, and free from any chemicals, and has no negative impact on human beings, is the reason that she has fallen in love with the work.
Moreover, she believes that it is a profitable business that could be developed to export level. If more training and education could be given to individuals, the work could generate more benefits to the people as well as the country.
Most of the clay work is carried out in a traditional way. Despite the vast number of professionals that perform in the sector, absence of institutions that promote the profession and teach the work shows how little attention is given to the sector. Though there are promising things that are being observed with regard to offering training, a lot remains to be done to help the sector outperform.
Traditionally, clay used to be produced by burning animal waste and woods and using electric, gas or other burning materials. In order to minimize the challenge, she uses fine charcoal. She stressed that individuals or institutions could take her experience.
Currently, she is making children play with mud, and perform traditional artifacts using cotton and other materials. She is also striving not only to establish a clay work institution but also to enhance the accessibility of clay works to all.
Birukti never gets her age into her way of work. She is a hardworking woman and believes that youth involvement in weaving and clay works are very limited. “They prefer migrating to Arab countries rather than engaging in clay works in their nation. This is how we lose track of our culture and we need to keep and transfer the tradition to the next generation”, she underscored.
Kechene area, Addis Ababa has a deep-rooted clay work culture that needs to be appreciated and promoted. The people who are producing clay items from mud are her biggest supporters in her work, as to her. With the vision of expanding the work to various areas in the country, she is putting her utmost effort.
Birukti, a mother of two, said her children are her first supporters. So far, she has received different awards and recognition from different institutions such as the Environment Protection Authority, former Culture and Tourism Ministry, Water and Energy Authority and other institutions.
Mentioning that there are several graduating students of engineering, architecture and other fields that joined her center and stating that there are a number of untapped areas in the country like clay works, she advised youths not to sit idle waiting for job employment
“Everyone does not necessarily have to be a pilot, doctor or a teacher. We need to explore different areas and conduct studies to have holistic development in the country. As a country, we need to review the experience of China and Japan that modernize the clay sector and benefit from it. Ethiopia has the potential to develop the sector given its rich nature. To this end, Due attention should be given”, she stressed.
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2024
