British-Nigerian Artist and Designer Yinka Ilori Is Forever Inspired by This Humble Bowl
Ilori explains how the bowls, made from dried calabash fruit and commonly used across Africa, have provided creative inspiration since his childhood.
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I go to Nigeria several times a year, but I visited my parents’ hometowns in that country for the first time when I was 11. It was such a special experience to see my aunties and uncles sitting under a cashew tree, drinking palm wine from calabash bowls. When I got older, I started collecting them. The bowls are made from dried calabash fruit, and they are used across Africa for eating and drinking, as well as in rituals and ceremonies.
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Mandi Keighran
Design and travel writer based in London.
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