The woman on the Nigeria twenty Naira note is Ladi Kwali. She was born in Kwali, Gwari region of Northern Nigeria, where pottery was a common occupation among women.
She was so skilled that her work became known in Europe, Britain, and America. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, her work was displayed in London at the Berkeley Galleries.
She became Nigeria’s best-known Potter, was awarded a doctorate, and made MBE in 1963 despite not having a formal education.
© Emmanuel Bassey
