Who is Ladi Kwali? What you need to know about the late Nigerian porter

Ladi Kwali was an educator, ceramicist, glassworker, and potter, who helped introduce the international community to the beauty of Nigerian art through intricately decorated earthenware designs.

She learnt pottery in her childhood and later developed her own style which included fabricating everyday containers ornamented with animal iconography.

Kwali’s works were showcased as masterful decorations in the homes of the wealthy and even palaces.

In 1950, Michael Cardew, founder of Abuja’s first potter training centre, discovered her talent after seeing her work at a royal palace.

Kwali became the first Nigerian woman to train in advanced pottery techniques, fusing her traditional style with innovative methods to craft a hybrid collection of pottery.

She achieved international acclaim in the 60s following exhibitions across Europe and the Americas.

Kwali later became a university lecturer and received a doctorate from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1977.

In 1963 she was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire. In honour of her contributions to academia, she received the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award in 1980 and was also awarded the national honour of the Officer of the Order of the Niger in 1981.

Kwali remains the first and only woman to feature on a Nigerian Naira note, N20.

Google’s doodle commemorates the exhibition of Kwali’s work at the Skoto Gallery in New York, on March 16, 2017.