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Mary Lee Brady, Ph. D.
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Builders of the great pyramids in Africa ranging along the Nile River from south to north were Africans. The proof of their African heritage is so numerous that it is almost ridiculous that racist theories would attribute such works and the land and creative cultures as having originated and existed for thousands of years from somewhere other than Africa. The pyramids at Giza in Egypt, are among the most famous pieces of architecture in the world. There are hundreds of pyramids in Egypt, Ethiopia and Nubia that bespeak a common value about after-death, unlike any values elsewhere. The Pyramid of Khafre was built as the final resting place of the pharaoh Khafre. Some scholars place the origin to be at least two thousand years before 2530 BC., ... determined according to Euro-Centric race based advocates who insist that Semites of Mesopotamia around 4500 BC were the earliest human beings to establish civilizations, ... not the Africans or Asians. This pyramid, about 136 m (446 ft) high, was built without the use of cranes, pulleys, or lifting tackle. Archaeologists are still not certain how this was accomplished. Remains of the original limestone casing are visible at the top of the pyramid.
The death mask of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun is made of gold inlaid with lapis lazuli and carnelian. The mask comes from the innermost mummy case in the pharaoh’s tomb and stands 54 cm (21 in) high. The facial features including the eyes, ears and mouth are as African as an African could be for many centuries before Egypt was conquered and ruled by Semites, Greeks and Romans. The widely differing cultures of Africa are more readily comprehended if grouped by geographic regions, in view of the diversity in climate, topography, and social organization within this vast area. Although some of these cultures have vanished, much of their art remains; other cultures have survived and continue to produce their traditional art. Arts of the Western Savanna
Among the best known of the traditional western savanna arts are those of the Dogon, Bambara, Mossi, Bobo, and Tamberma living in the dry, grassy plains of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Togo. The arts of the Dogon, one of the most isolated of these peoples, have been especially well researched. The Dogon have a rich and complex philosophical foundation on which their arts are based. The Dogon village plan, for example, is seen to have the form of a human, representing the Nommo, the first humans created by the Dogon sun and creator god. Important parts of the Dogon village physiognomy include its head (the smithy and men's house), chest (the houses of lineage leaders), hands (women's houses), genitals (a mortar and altar), and feet (shrines). Dogon masks, carved for the men's association, Awa, represent in their totality the Dogon image of the world with the animals and people that inhabit it. The antelope, the bird, the hare, Fulani women, and Samana men are some of the characters who appear in the funerary performances of this association. Other masks presented at such times depict more abstract philosophical concepts. One mask, the 9 m- (30 ft-) long serpentine "Great Mother" mask, recalls the origin of death. Another-the roughly cruciform Kanaga mask- re-creates, in its wearer's dance motions, the origin of the world. Farther east, among the linguistically related Tamberma of Togo, house architecture has reached an apex of beauty and symbolic complexity. The two-story earthen "castles" of these people serve not only as their domiciles but also as their fortresses, cathedrals, theaters, and cosmological diagrams. The name that these people call themselves, Batammariba, or the "people who are the architects," bears out the importance of architecture among this group. Like the Dogon village, each Tamberma house is said to be distinctly human. Accordingly, its outer surfaces are scarified with the same patterns incised on women. Appropriate body parts are also found in the house, for example, the door "mouth," the window "eyes," the grinding stone "teeth," and so on. The Western Forests
The great forested West Atlantic coast-often called the Guinea Coast-incorporates the diverse cultures and arts of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire on the west and Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria on the east. In the western coastal forests, the dominant art patrons are associations of men and women such as Sandé and Poro. The women's Sandé society of the Mende (Sierra Leone) has a particularly important masquerade tradition. Sandé masks, which are polished a deep black to reflect the richness and beauty of the sea, are worn by female association leaders during the initiation ceremonies of young women in the community. The most beautiful of these masks reflect, in their form, the features that the Mende admire in themselves: a high, smooth forehead, an elaborate coiffure, and an elegant strong neck. Poro, the parallel men's association, has elaborate masking traditions as well. Dan, Kran, and Guere Poro members from Liberia and nearby Côte d'Ivoire present in their association performances a diverse cast of players. These include, among others, the judge, the singer, and the runner. Elegance of form, shiny black facial surfaces, and complex woven coiffures are featured in these masks. When not being worn, the masks are secured in a special sacred go (ge) house under the guardianship of the go-master. The wife of this important man has her own special art form, a decorated spoon that she displays in feasts for the community. From the eastern Atlantic coast region that encompasses the countries of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria are found some of the most important aristocratic arts of Africa. Perhaps the most famous of the kingships is the Benin dynasty in Nigeria. The royal city of Benin (not be be confused with the recently named neighboring country of Benin) was at its height in the 17th and 18th centuries and was compared by travelers to the great contemporaneous cities of the Netherlands. The palace of the king, or oba as he was called, was especially impressive. At one time its walls were covered with beautifully cast bronze plaques that were said to shimmer like gold. The three main buildings at the palace were each surmounted by immense turrets supporting giant bronze birds and pythons. On the royal palace altars, bronze memorial heads and sculptures were displayed for private and state festivities. Central, South, and East Africa
In the thick equatorial forests and drier savanna regions running from Gabon through the Republic of the Congo, the DRC, and various countries to the east and south, still other artistic forms are emphasized. In the matrilineal cultures of southern DRC, female figures are particularly important. The Pende chief's house, for example, often bears a full-scale image of a woman at the apex of the roof. This figure sometimes holds a child (the symbol of the family line and future heirs) as well as an ax (the symbol of power). Among the remote Gato, Bongo, and Konso of Sudan and Ethiopia, memorial figures of wood were set up in prominent positions in the village to survey its entrance and the tombs of its important ancestors. In most other East African cultures monumental sculpture was rare. Instead, body decoration became an important focus of the arts. The Masai of Kenya and the Zulu of South Africa are particularly noted for their beaded jewelry. Circular forms such as one finds in the jewelry of the Masai are also emphasized in Bantu village planning in this area. The great elliptical stone building (circa 1200) of the ancient Monomotapa culture near Fort Victoria in Zimbabwe is conceptually part of this circular design and architectural tradition. |
Copyright © 2010 Brady Enterprise Association, Inc. Last modified: 05/12/10 |
