Boubon
A Niger river village west of Niamey where women make pottery by hand.
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Boubon sits on the Niger a short way upstream of Niamey and its women have made pottery there for generations, coiling and beating clay from the riverbank into water jars, cooking pots and lids without a wheel, then firing them in open pits in the sand. A Sunday market brings the work together with produce and livestock, and hippos live in the river below the village.
What you actually see
- The hand-built pots - vessels coiled and beaten without a wheel.
- The pit firing - open firings in the sand beside the river.
- The Sunday market - pottery, produce and livestock together.
- The river - the Niger below the village, with hippos in it.
When to go
Sunday is market day and when the village is fullest. November to February is the cool season. The river is highest around January and February.
Honest expectations
The village is a working place rather than a demonstration, and access to firings depends on timing. Photography should be asked for. Hippos in the river are dangerous and should be watched from a distance.
Nearby
Niamey is east, and Ayorou is northwest.
What to pack for Boubon
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.