05 Sep 2017

To some people pottery is just a hobby, but for Keseitsheletse Ditshotlo pottery is her life. 

The 65-year-old Molepolole-born lives and breathes pottery. 

It will be safe to say when you reference pottery to her, it becomes a family affair. 

She is not the only potter in the family, her rivalry; Mmamontshonyana Ditshekiso is her sister. 

Their children are also following on their footsteps, something that fills her heart with joy. 

Ditshotlo said she got her pottery skills from her mother. 

“She shared her amazing skills with us and it was up to us to fall in love with the clay.

I and my sister caught the clay fever as we always spent time with our mother and her skills rubbed off on us” she recalled. 

She explained that she has been playing with clay since 1972 and she never looked back. 

The passion and hunger to become creative and strive for something that stole her heart were the driving force behind her immense success.

 “There were people who were determined to deter me but I could not give them what they wanted, I strived on. 

The very same clay that they spit on put food on the table for my children. 

It has made me what I am right now” she said. 

Just like her sister in the industry she has received several accolades in recognition of her artistic talent. 

According to her she is way better than her older sister; “she is even jealous at my work because she knows that I am the best in the game” she said with some giggles. 

Her memories went back to the time she beat her to position one and how she got a silent treatment from her older sister which she found so hilarious. 

“She got over it eventually” she shrugged. 

Ditshotlo revealed that the annual President’s Day Competition was where she proved her mettle as she scooped position 1 three years in a row from 2008 under the traditional pottery section. 

Moving from competitions she said focus was now on getting accredited by Botswana Qualification Authority so that she could train whoever would be interested in acquiring the skills. 

“I will be happy to assist where I can when there are workshops, competitions and seminars related to pottery and pottery making. I am keen to pass the traditional techniques to the next generation with hope of keeping the art alive,” she said. 

Sharing the processes of pottery making, she said extracting the clay was not a friendly exercise, however that should not deter anyone from trying out pottery making. 

She said the clay dust that people normally see was actually a rock that has to be dug and refined. 

“All of these are very tiring, especially at my age, but I have now resolved to hiring people to extract clay for me” she said. 

Apart from the difficulties of extraction, she said the sales of her creations were slow and force her to sell at lower prices. 

She said in making the pots, she use different soils being moraga and letsopa while she decorates the pots with other different soils. 

Ditshotlo said she intends to continue using the olden technique of making potery. 

“I do not want to change the technique because I have realised that people prefer pottery done the traditional way. 

I have nothing against the new machines, but I will rather stick to my old techniques. 

I always get amazed after seeing what my hands have created. 

Pottery is truly my life and I do not see myself doing anything else,” she said with a smile.ENDS