Ladi Kwali by Seun Lari Williams

Ladi Kwali was a potter,
In case you do not know this,
She’s on the twenty naira note,
In case you never noticed.

She could not read or write,
But she was not a novice,

She was so good at pottery,

That everybody noticed.

She died in ’84 and was mourned,
By the whole country,
She was not a politician,
All she did was pottery.

There are many nice words,
About Ladi Kwali,
They said she liked singing,
While doing her pottery.

They said she liked teaching,
About life, and of course pottery,
They said she died smiling,
As though she won the lottery.

Ladi Kwali left her mark,
On Nigeria and the world,
Like a mark impressed on pottery,
To help spread the word.

She died in ‘84,
But lives forever in our hearts,
And if you ever forget her,
Spend a twenty naira!