The Two Pots

This artwork represents two traditional cooking pots painted in the colors of Mali: green, yellow, and red. Accompanied by the sounds of clinking dishes and pestles pounding grain, the sculpture celebrates the importance of food, family, and shared traditions in Malian culture. The pots symbolize not only nourishment but also the knowledge, stories, and values passed from one generation to the next through everyday acts of cooking and gathering together.

STORIES FROM ITALY

6/24/20262 min read

Green for the land that gives life.

Yellow for the sun and the richness of our traditions.

Red for the strength and sacrifices of those who came before us.

When I was asked to choose a sound for my sculpture, I chose the sounds I remember from home:

Clink... clink...

The sound of dishes being prepared.

Tok... tok... tok...

The sound of pestles pounding millet.

For many people, these are everyday noises.

For me, they are the sound of belonging.

As a child, I spent a lot of time near the cooking area. I remember watching the women of my family moving around the pots with confidence and patience. They seemed to know exactly when to stir, when to add ingredients, when to wait.

I thought they were only preparing food.

Now I understand they were preparing much more than that.

Around those pots, stories were told.

Children learned respect.

Neighbors shared news.

Guests were welcomed.

Songs were sung.

Advice was given.

Laughter filled the air.

The pots were always at the center of life.

In many Malian communities, food is never only about eating. It is about sharing. A meal brings people together. Family members, friends, and visitors gather around the same dish, and for a moment everyone belongs to the same circle.

That is why I made two pots instead of one.

One pot represents nourishment for the body.

The other represents nourishment for the spirit.

One contains food.

The other contains memories.

One feeds people today.

The other feeds future generations.

The lids are important too.

They protect what is inside.

Just as elders protect traditions until they are ready to be passed on.

The sounds of dishes and pestles remind me that heritage does not only live in festivals, monuments, or ceremonies.

It lives in kitchens.

It lives in conversations.

It lives in the hands that prepare food with care.

Sometimes I think that every strike of the pestle is like a heartbeat.

Tok... tok... tok...

A rhythm repeated by mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and daughters for generations.

A rhythm that says:

"We are still here."

"We remember."

"We continue."

The two pots I created may be small, but they carry something very large.

They carry the warmth of family.

The generosity of sharing.

The wisdom of those who teach without needing books.

And the hope that one day, when another young girl hears the sound of dishes and pestles, she will recognize it not simply as noise, but as the voice of her culture calling her home.

Because heritage is not always found in extraordinary things.

Sometimes it is found in a pot on the fire, a meal shared with others, and the familiar rhythm of hands preparing food for the people they love.

When I was asked to create something that represented my cultural heritage, I made two small pots with lids.

They are simple.

They do not tell a grand story at first glance.

But sometimes the most important stories live inside ordinary objects.

I painted them green, yellow, and red—the colors of the Malian flag.

HERS

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Contact

hers@odyssea.com