Katiola

Pottery at Katiola is made by women of the Mangoro community, who build vessels by hand without a wheel, coiling and shaping clay dug locally, then firing in open bonfires rather than kilns. The craft passes from mother to daughter and the forms are functional: water jars, cooking pots, storage vessels. Workshops in the town take visitors and demonstrate the whole sequence, and the pots are sold from the yards where they are made.

What you actually see

• The hand building - vessels coiled and shaped without a wheel.
• The open firing - pots fired in bonfires rather than kilns.
• The women potters - the Mangoro community that holds the craft.
• The forms - water jars, cooking pots and storage vessels for use rather than display.

When to go

November to February is the dry season and the best for firing, which needs dry weather. Weekday mornings are when the work is done. The rains from June to October interrupt production.

Honest expectations

Firing does not happen every day and depends on weather and stock. Prices for visitors are quoted high. The pots are heavy and awkward to carry away.

Nearby

Bouake is south, and Korhogo is north.