An African Journey Through Its Art
by
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Journeys usually begin by defining the destination. A place is selected, and travel plans are made to reach the desired location. There are many sources describing places of interest and sites to visit, food to eat, and restaurants to consider. There are also trips devoted to special activities such as safaris and tours to various regions where ethnic populations perform for the tourists. In this book the travel is to Africa, a journey through its art. It encompasses several countries, cities, and towns in all regions of the vast continent. For this journey the countries, peoples, and cultures where the art originated also need to be defined to understand the significance and the traditions of the native populations’ expressions through the representations of the artists.
An African Journey Through its Art provides a convenient way to begin to understand the culture, as well as other aspects of the history, religion, beliefs, customs, and superstitions of the people. Most of us are quite ignorant about African countries, their history, and their populations. Africa has many countries with names that have changed over the recent past and countless native populations—more than a hundred in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone (formerly named Zaire). Thus, the geography and the historical highlights of the regions are briefly reviewed to facilitate a proper enjoyment of the journey. To understand the current status of the countries and ethnic groups, a brief historical outline is included. In some instances, the differences between countries and cultures are enormous; in other cases they are quite minor or very subtle. Geographically, the countries may have been one and only recently became separated. The various native populations may be closely linked and thereby influence one another in many ways. This may make it impossible to tell from which of two neighboring groups of peoples or countries the art originated. The names and locations of ethnic groups and societies are also difficult to decipher, as they are known by more than one name (see Table #1).
Here the most well known denomination as defined by “Design Africa’s” comprehensive compilation of names and synonyms is used. The term “tribe” is avoided; among scholars the currently preferred denomination is “peoples,” “cultures,” or “societies,” though the term tribe is still popular and more commonly used, particularly in the press. However, even this list is unable to include all peoples or all variations in spelling. The country of origin is also problematic, as the people knew of no artificial national boundaries. For example, Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia are two neighboring countries that share populations who have produced magnificent art—the Baoulé and the Dan. The cultural beliefs and deities such as the Mami Wata are often represented in African art; these beliefs are shared by many ethnic groups residing in various regions of the continent and beyond.
African Art is beautiful, impressive, and lively, endlessly varied and very expressive. It inspired some of the greatest cubist and abstract works of art that are highly valued in Western society. Nonetheless a lot of people are reluctant to acquire it. The first thing they want to know is how old it is. Even in the most admirable collections in museums, the provenance of most antiquities is unknown; the date when the piece was made is not precise or proven. Most sculptures shown in the book are magnificent original art pieces; though herein there may be some of doubtful authenticity, these are included to represent an important cultural tradition. Masterful authentic African Art has become very hard to come by as interest by collectors is now very prevalent, estimated to account for sales of over half a billion dollars a year. Nonetheless, the art shown in this book should be treasured exclusively for its intrinsic beauty, not to be appreciated for commercial purposes. It does not constitute proof of value or authenticity, just of taste. Attention was paid to avoid falling prey to depict poorly made imitations. There are plenty of them—the so called “airport art” and even more the souvenirs. Finally, ethical issues needed to be considered since some pieces could be looted art, patrimony of a country and symbolic representations of the native populations’ past.
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About the Book
This book is about a journey; Africa is its destination. It offers exploration, discovery and learning about the continent and its inhabitants. The book provides a vicarious journey to Africa through its history and into the present day. It is an emotional and aesthetic adventure as the travel is through its art. If you plan to travel to Africa and you seek information about the geography, or a country’s history and political situation you will find it here. If you want to know about African people and some of their finest creations, this book is the source. If you want to learn about the cultures and the ethnic populations of the various regions of the vast continent, this book is for you. If you relish beautiful art and what it symbolizes this book will sooth your senses and apprise you of the meaning of what you see.
African sculptures are images of spirits and humans and animal forms. These are carved with a realistic or naturalistic appearance or may depict idealized powerful believes. African art may represent ancestral deities or may represent their ideas and creeds. The art is used to adorn shrines, to honor the dead or to epitomize the accomplishments of the kings, warriors or distinguished societal members. There are carvings that portray the daily activities of the people and there are sculptures made to bestow needed qualities, such as aiding with the harvest, healing the sick, assisting with fertility or protecting pregnant women. There are statuettes made for ritualistic purposes and be used in celebrations.
Most of all, African art is always impressive and lively, endlessly variable and very expressive. It inspired some of the greatest cubist and abstract works of art made by some of the most acclaimed artists like Picasso, Modigliani and Giacometti, among others. “An African Journey Through Its Art” will enlighten the reader with a historical perspective of the countries and ethnic populations’ rich cultural heritage. It will enhance the appreciation of the art produced by diverse people who inhabit the continent. Africans have created magnificent art despite enormous challenges of survival. The book provides an enjoyable way to get to know Africa and to enhance the appreciation the best of its people.
About the Author
Dr. Fima Lifshitz is President of Pediatric Sunshine Academics, a non-profit organization committed to pediatric endocrinology and nutrition research and education. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Growth, Genetics & Hormones (www.gghjournal.com) and holds an appointment as Senior Nutrition Scientist and Director of Pediatrics at Sansum Medical Research Institute, Santa Barbara, California. Dr. Lifshitz is also Professor Emeritus, State University of New York, Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn; previously serving as Professor in the Institution (1991–2007). Formerly he was Professor of Pediatrics at Cornell University Medical College, New York (1975–1991) and University of Miami, School of Medicine, Miami (2002–2007). Dr. Lifshitz was Chief-of-Staff and Senior Vice-President for Medical Affairs (1997–2001) and Chair of Nutrition Sciences (1997–2002), at Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami, Florida. Previously he was Chairman of Pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center, Downstate SUNY Brooklyn (1991–1996); Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition and Vice Chairman of Pediatrics at North Shore University Hospital, Cornell University Medical College and (1972–1991). Dr. Lifshitz is the author of more than 350 scientific papers, review articles and book chapters. He is the author or editor of nineteen books, including Pediatric Endocrinology now in its fifth edition. Dr. Lifshitz has been on the editorial board of Growth, Genetics & Hormones since its inception in 1985 and became the Editor-in-Chief of this journal in 2004. Furthermore, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition from 1993–1998 and as Editor-in-Chief of International Pediatrics from 1998–2002. He was a member of the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2001–2005). Dr. Lifshitz is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and of the American Board of Pediatric Endocrinology. He attained his MD degree at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in his native country Mexico, and obtained his pediatric training at Children’s Mercy Hospital and University of Kansas Medical Center and his pediatric endocrinology fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Lifshitz has trained thirty-four fellows in the field and has been recipient of national and international visiting professorships and named lectureships. He has also received several awards and honors and is particularly proud the pediatric research center at the Escola da Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, named for him. Dr. Lifshitz has been an avid collector of art for over forty-five years.