African Art in the Modern Era ion=TopBar&module=HPMiniNav&contentCollection=World&WT.nav=page African Art in the Modern Era

Society and Religion in Early Africa Common cultural inheritance – Basic languages – Animist beliefs Oral traditions – Reverence for elderly, ancestor worship Emphasis on family, community – Evolution of powerful kingdoms

Pre-Colonial Africa, 17th and 18th Centuries

Three Early African Kingdoms: Ghana, Benin, Zimbabwe Ghana – Caravan routes – Increased wealth from exported goods – Conquered by Berbers Benin (Nigeria) – New food crops, metalworking techniques – Ruled by an Oba – Decline after massive slave deportation

Three Early African Kingdoms: Ghana, Benin, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe – Stone Age settlements (bushmen) – “Great Zimbabwe” complex – The Shona Ancestral spirits as birds, eagles

20.5 The ancient walls and one of the conical towers showing the inner passage of the Great Enclosure at Great Zimbabwe, 15th century, Zimbabwe

Slavery and Colonialism Transatlantic Slave Trade Transatlantic Slave Trade – Indentured servants – Connected to European colonization Slave Narratives Slave Narratives – Works Progress Administration The Spiritual The Spiritual Quilting Quilting

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20.7 Harriet Powers, Bible Quilt,

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically Colonialism in Africa – a brief history Slave trade & European contact with Africa occurs between the 15th - 19th centuries, largely focused on coastal areas of Africa. In the nineteenth century as the slave trade was phased out, European governments sought to gain from the rich natural resources of Africa, and Christian missionaries arrived in force. “Scramble for Africa” By 1914 almost all of Africa was under colonial rule after a race to occupy by many European nations. Collecting African objects became of great interest to the incoming colonists as they realized, ironically, that their presence might endanger or eradicate many age-old customs and traditions through introduction of modern/Western technologies and diseases. What do we mean by the term Colonialism?

Slavery and Colonialism Colonialism Colonialism – Availability of raw materials – Portuguese – Belgium – France – United Kingdom Aparteid Aparteid – Alan Paton – Nelson Mandela

LEFT: Pablo Picasso, 'Head of a Woman', 1907 (oil on canvas) RIGHT: Dan Mask from West Africa How African art influences European art and artists

Bamana People, Mail, N. W. Africa, Chiwara (antelope headdress, 20 th century, Wood

Comparison of the four major styles of The Chi Wara / Chiwara / Chi- Wara mask of the Bambara people of Mali. Left to right Abstract / Bougouni / Southern region style, Vertical/ Segu/ Northern region style, the Horizontal / Bamako / Northern region style, and the Abstract / Sikasso region style.

Yoruba Twin Figures, made by Akiode died 1936 Nigeria, 20 th c. wood

Animism From Latin anima "soul, life” - a set of beliefs based on the existence of non-human "spiritual beings" or similar kinds of embodied principles. Spirits embodied in the natural world Deep respect for nature and all living things Ancestral spirits Mediators = diviners, shamans and healers who use prayer, sacrifice, offering, ritual, or performance through (art) objects

Toguna (meeting center), Mali Dogon Culture

20.4 Altar of the Hand, Kingdom of Benin (Nigeria), late 19 th century

Traditional African Art in the Modern Period Transitions of Life, Rites of Passage – Religious objects – Maternity figures Performance Art of Dance Masks, headdresses, ceremonial dress Complexity of influences – Western tendencies

20.6 Sculpture of a bird, Great Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), 1200–1400

20.10 The bird headdress of a young Maasai warrior, 2006

Impact of Western Culture on Contemporary African Art Kente cloth Use of ephemera Music – Cross rhythm – Vocal harmony

20.16 El Anatsui, Between Earth and Heaven, 2006

20.19 A kora, a 21-string instrument that is plucked by hand

African Literature Somalian oral traditions – Raage Ugaas (18th century) – Qamaan Bulxan (mid-19th century) Swahili-Arabic script – Recording traditional, new songs – Saiyid Abdallah (c )

African Literature Negritude – Leopold Senghor ( ) – Compromise with Neo-Colonialism? African Novelists – Thomas Mofolo (ca ) – Chinua Achebe (b. 1930)

Chapter Twenty: Discussion Questions Explain the effects of Western colonization on the peoples of Africa. What were the positive and negative ramifications of the introduction of Western ideologies and priorities? What are the arguments presented regarding the publication of literature in English versus in the native African languages? Which do you find to be the most compelling argument? Why? How is traditional African art different, both stylistically and philosophically, from art of the other geographic regions (particularly the West) and historical epochs? What is role of the artist and the aesthetic in African art? Explain.

Guided questions for the film “Hidden Treasure of African Art” BBC Film: