His love for acoustic ceramics started after his first exhibition in Maputo in 2005, as he wanted to make something different from other artists. His work explores the acoustic properties of ceramics, treating them as instruments of communication both between people and with the ancestors. His performances merge sculpture, movement, and ritual, drawing from traditions where clay has been used for music, ceremonies, and storytelling. Born in Mozambique, Ussumane was exposed to artistic traditions that saw ceramics as more than functional objects. His fascination with sound began when he observed how different cultures used clay instruments in rituals and communal gatherings. In an interview with Arts&Culture at Thapong Visual Arts Centre this past Tuesday, Ussumane explained that before they had metal or wooden instruments and clay, the earth was their first tool for making music. This historical and spiritual awareness informs his work, which transforms ceramics into objects that do more than hold form, they hold meaning.
Ussumane, who has been in Botswana for two months now, stated that he is not here to teach about ceramics but instead to share information about ceramics and the importance of drums or instruments in terms of communicating with ancestors. Many of the ceramic instruments he creates are meant to produce sounds used in spiritual practices. “In my culture and many others across Africa, sound is a way to speak to the ancestors. Drumming, blowing into a vessel, striking a surface, all of these are acts of calling, of sending messages beyond the physical world,” he explains. His performances often reflect this belief, incorporating rhythms and tones associated with ceremonies meant to appease or communicate with spirits. His approach to performance is intuitive rather than scripted. Each piece is built around the interaction between his body and the clay instruments he sculpts. “The clay decides the sound,” he says. “When I shape a drum, I don’t force it into a sound, it reveals the rhythm it wants to produce. When I blow into a ceramic flute, it carries breath into vibration, like a voice,” he adds. His process begins in the studio, where he experiments with forms, textures, and firing techniques to create instruments that produce distinct tones. Ussumane’s research into clay instruments spans multiple African cultures, exploring how ancient communities used them for spiritual and communal functions. “In many traditions, clay flutes, drums, and whistles were not just for music. They were sacred. They carried messages to the ancestors, to nature, to each other,” he says.
