I felt somewhat dismayed by Ceramic Review upon arrival of the Sept/Oct issue. The modern and fresh approach of your cover gave no indication of the dated and stereotypical overview that the article 'Voodoo Pottery' by Keith Nicklin presented.Must we yet again be faced with the notion that the only interesting thing to come out of African pottery is related to voodoo and witchcraft? Yes, it is an inherent part of African culture, but here in the west our pottery is not publicly limited to Christianity or any other religion; here we are 'graced' with the privilege of art for art's sake and have freedom to choose between the decorative, the functional or even the spiritual. The shot of the semi-naked woman working outside the mud hut left me agitated that 'haven't-we-done-all-this-before?' and 'must-we-do-it-all-again?' Times have changed, and are constantly changing, but we arrogantly keep Africa and her contemporaries in the past.
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