Fun in the Mud

It’s amazing what one can do with « these two hands »… like building a mud stove?

At one session during early inservice training, Jaren along with her comrads played in the dirt to make mud stoves.

Here’s how :

To start, dig up dirt, blend in dry weeds, and add a bit of water to create a clay-like mound perfect for constrution.

Then, it was time to mash it…with your feet of course. (Think smashing of the grapes).

Voilà ! Clay ! In order to work with the heaping mound, it was necessary to create clay balls.

Then pick a spot in the concession where the stove should go and start construction by dabbing the globs of clay around a marmite (a big pot).

Remove the pot, cut away some edges, smooth the surface with water and you have yourself a mud stove !

Let stand a week and then you’ll have the perfect stove to make your favorite beninese dishes. Pate anyone ?