Bamessing

Bamessing, also called Nsei, sits on the road between Bamenda and Ndop and has worked clay for generations, with deposits nearby that fire well and a tradition of hand-built and wheel-thrown pots for cooking, water storage and ceremony. A craft centre established in the village decades ago organised the trade, training potters and selling the work more widely, and pots from here are found across the region. Visitors can watch the whole process, from digging and preparing the clay through forming and burnishing to firing in open or simple kilns, and buy directly. Woodcarving and weaving are also worked in the village and the surrounding grassfields chiefdoms.

What you actually see

• Clay dug and prepared locally - the deposits the trade is built on.
• Hand-building and throwing - the forming methods used in the village.
• Open and simple kiln firing - the finishing stage of the process.
• The craft centre - the organisation that trains and sells.

When to go

November to February in the dry season, when firing and drying are easier. Half a day. Workshops keep working hours; weekends are quieter.

Honest expectations

These are working potteries, not a demonstration set up for visitors, so what is happening depends on the day. Large pots are impractical to carry home. Roads are rough. Current conditions in the area are worth checking before you plan around it.

Nearby

Ndop is east; Bamenda lies west.