African Art: Status, Spirits, Colonial Portrayals & Contemporary Expressions

Lesson Objectives

  • Analyze relationships among status, art, and ancestry in Africa.
  • Examine representations of the spirit world in African art.
  • Analyze portrayals of Western culture in African art.
  • Discuss features and materials of contemporary African art.

Key Terms & Pronunciation Cues

  • Buami (boo-WAH-mee): graded political system of the Lega.
  • Nulobayeri (new-loh-bah-YEH-ree): Fang ancestral guardian figure (often written "Lulubayiri").
  • Lolobah (LOH-loh-bah): “other-world spouse” statue.
  • Kikaku (kee-KAH-koo): three-sided roofed enclosure used during Nkanu initiation.
  • Mukanda (moo-KAN-dah): initiation ceremony among several Central African groups.
  • Uli (OO-lee): Igbo surface-design system of curvilinear lines; inspiration for modern works.

Art & Status

Royal/Political Power

  • Finial of a ruler/spokesperson
    • Small gilded sculpture mounted atop a staff or scepter.
    • Figure is seated, delicately holding an egg.
    • Materials: wood covered by thin gold leaf⇒symbol of wealth & authority.
    • Allegory of power:
    • “Power = egg” metaphor:
      • Grasp too tightly ⇒ egg breaks ⇒ abuse destroys authority.
      • Hold too loosely ⇒ egg slips ⇒ negligence forfeits power.
    • Display context: carried by king or herald while addressing the public as a visual reminder of responsible leadership.

Everyday/Familial Status

  • Bija Doll (“bija” = child) of the Mossi (Mosse)
    • A girl’s personal doll, functionally similar to a Western Barbie.
    • Stylised yet indicates mature feminine ideals:
    • Elaborate single hair-lock style mirrored by real Mossi girls.
    • Elongated breasts ⇒ sign of motherhood; scarification marks on torso & thighs ⇒ commemorate first childbirth.
    • Life-cycle role:
    • Carried through childhood → kept into adulthood → accompanies bride into husband’s home as fertility charm.
    • If woman has difficulty conceiving, doll is strapped on her back like a baby to invoke fecundity.

Initiation & Social Cohesion

Lega Buami System

  • Six graded levels \,(1 \text{–} 6) ("buami").
  • Advancement criteria:
    • Personal character/ethical merit.
    • Ability to pay initiation fee (cowrie shells, livestock, trade items).
  • Communal check: fee must be paid collectively—relatives & friends contribute ⇒ discourages feuds; promotes inter-family harmony.

Kumami Mask (2nd Grade)

  • Size: smaller than life; carried in hand or tied to hip during rites.
  • Form: simple oval; heart-shaped face; shallow concave eyes/nose/mouth; long fibre beard; white kaolin clay pigment.
  • Symbolism: continuity of living community with ancestors; reminder of moral expectations for new initiates.

Ancestral Veneration

Nulobayeri (Fang Reliquary Guardian)

  • Region: Côte d’Ivoire / Gabon (Ivory Coast).
  • Function: sits atop cylindrical box holding revered relics (bones/skull) of exemplary ancestors.
  • Qualifying deeds for enshrinement: first to trade with Europeans, elephant slayer, prolific parent, founder of prestigious lineage.
  • Aesthetic traits:
    • Naturalistic torso, powerful limbs, intricate coiffure.
    • Absolute bilateral symmetry; echoes Fang pursuit of ordered balance.
  • Cultural extension: villages laid out symmetrically; nomadic migrations carry relic boxes, sustaining order in a disordered world.

Spirit-World Ideals

Lolobah (“Other-World Spouse”)

  • Concept: Before earthly birth, every person lives an ideal life—including marriage—in a parallel spirit realm.
  • Statue represents that perfect spouse.
  • Ritual use: owner cares for figure, offers gifts; believed to appease spirit partner, restore life balance, ease milestones such as marriage or childbirth.
  • Embodies ultimate beauty standards; assists in achieving elevated status in the living world.

Portrayal of Western (Colonial) Culture

  • Nkanu Kikaku Panel
    • Part of a three-sided initiation shelter.
    • Depicts central European colonial administrator flanked by two Belgian Force Publique soldiers.
    • Satirical caricature = covert critique of colonial domination; safe, “passive-aggressive” resistance during ceremonies.

Contemporary African Art

  • Core shift: new industrial/urban materials replace or augment traditional wood, fibre, pigment—yet visual languages (e.g., Uli surface pattern) persist.

El Anatsui, “Flag for a New World Power” (2004)

  • Media: flattened aluminum bottle caps + copper wire woven into cloth-like sheet.
  • Traditional reference: metallic shimmer recalls royal kente cloth & uli-inspired patterning.
  • Statement: globalization, consumerism, and re-imagined national identities.

Julie Mehretu, “Dispersion” (2002)

  • Ethiopian-born, New-York-based painter.
  • Large-scale acrylic & ink on canvas.
  • Layered cartographic lines, architectural fragments, and gestural marks map contemporary migration and diaspora—new mode of expressing African identity abroad.

Ethical, Philosophical & Practical Threads

  • Power’s fragility (egg allegory) parallels modern political ethics worldwide.
  • Dolls & figures act as didactic tools—teaching morality, social roles, fertility ideals.
  • Communal initiation fees illustrate socio-political engineering for peace.
  • Symmetry philosophy demonstrates human drive to impose order on chaotic existence.
  • Contemporary reuse of waste (bottle caps) raises environmental and economic commentary.

Quick Comparative Matrix

  • Material Evolution: wood/kaolin → metal caps, industrial paint.
  • Function: ritual utility (masks, relic guardians) persists, yet commentary broadens to global socio-political themes.
  • Audience: shift from exclusively local tribe to international galleries & diaspora communities.

Take-Away Connections

  • Art in Africa is multidimensional: communicates status, safeguards ancestors, bridges real & spirit worlds, critiques colonial past, and innovates with modern materials.
  • Despite medium changes, core concepts—balance, community, moral instruction—remain continuous across centuries.