African Art Blog

When someone says “Africa” what is the first image that comes to mind? Is it of the Serengeti teeming with herds of wildebeest, of Mt Kilimanjaro rising from the plain, or maybe of the diamond mines of South Africa? Interestingly, most of us just do not automatically think of North Africa as even being a part of Africa! The Maghrib or North Africa is made up of Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Art in this region is very distinct. It reflects a near mystical quality relying heavily on symbolism from throughout the region. Art in this area also draws from pre-Islamic Berber motifs as well as from Islamic culture introduced by the Arabs in the 7^th century AD. From the dawn of time artists have been crafting works of art in the form of petroglyphs in Algeria and Libya and Neolithic paintings in Morocco. North African art has been heavily influenced by these early works of art throughout the millenia.

Currently, art has taken on a new cloak in North Africa. One artist in Algeria utilizes the Berber alphabet as a symbol of protest by using the traditional symbols. He mirrors them, stretches them and other wise disguises them in his artwork to protest the ruling parties forbiddance of freedom of expression. In other words, art has taken on political undertones.

The more traditional use of symbols in North Africa is to be found on painted or carved wood, leather, jewelry, tattoos, textiles and pottery. Symbols bearing striking resemblance to Neolithic pottery are painted by Algerian women (with their fingers!) on the walls of their homes and on their pottery. These traditional symbols are believed to represent magical protection against adversity and the evil eye.  In addition, traditional symbols are believed to possess healing capabilities. Contemporary art in North Africa combines traditional symbolism with magic numbers to represent the past and present.

Today, Moroccan artists preserve traditional North African crafts but with a strong Andalusian effect. Moroccan craftsmen are highly respected and are normally referred to as “master artisan” or mu’alim.

Throughout North Africa there are many common symbols and magical numbers. The number 5 (khmasa) is very significant as it represents the hand of Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima; it signifies protection from the evil eye. Other common symbolic numbers are odd numbers and any multiple of an odd number. Other common symbols are crescents, dots, triangles, stars, diamonds and lozenges.

One word may have many meanings. One symbol may also have many meanings; consider for instance, a square. When the Berbers use a square it is representative of the earthly realm; the four seasons, four winds, four points of the compass, four phases of the Moon, four walls of a home and the four stages of Man (childhood, adolescence, adult, old age).  Squares shown in a checkerboard pattern are symbolic of fields of crops and the earth’s fertility.

North African art is highly symbolic and highly desirable just from an aesthetic point of view.

Find out more about it, and a couple of beautiful little somethings over here at Novica

For those who want to redecorate their home with African décor, now is the time. You can quite easily go online and decorate your home with African ornaments, furniture and textiles straight from the African artists and craftsmen. Efforts to make African products available to the world online have been highly successful and resulted in improved economies in many of the poorest areas of Africa. Support Fair Trade when you shop online, look for the Fair Trade designation to ensure the African future.

http://www.strictlyafrica.com/products.cfm?SiteNumber=107&Product=

You will find a wide array of African selections over the internet for your redecoration project.

A stunning white leather mousemat intricately engraved with fine images of African wildlife such as the Rhino, Elephant, Lion and Zebra is sure to elicit gasps of admiration when hung up as wall décor in any room.

From the Congo come the Bakuba cushion covers. Raffia is woven by loom into a geometrically designed square to be attached to a leather or cotton cushion casing. These are beautiful pieces of art that would add color and class to any couch or chair in your home.

When you set the table, fine African textiles add elegance and grace to any setting. Zambian cotton table mats, runners and full cloths are available to add beauty to your sit down suppers. The colors are neutral, comfortable earth tones and the designs range from traditional to ultra modern. Rosewood carved serving bowls, salad servers and condiment sets from Kenya and Tanzania complement your Zambian textiles and encourage a relaxing meal time experience.

You can even decorate your bathroom in African décor. Perhaps the most fun items are the Zambian recycled metal items.   You can find crocodile, elephant and fancy fish toilet paper holders for adding interest to the bathroom visits.  Zambian welders take used metal and create fancy mirror frames that will look beautiful in any bathroom.

Also from Zambia comes some of the most gorgeous, handmade teak, mahogany and rosewood furniture you can imagine. This furniture is of highest quality and available by order in many designs or you can submit your own design to be custom made.  The wood used for Zambian furniture is harvested from controlled tree stands managed as a renewable, sustainable resource.

Decorate your walls with hand painted wall hangings reflecting animals and Maasai people in scenes of traditional day to day life. These wall hangings come ready to hang in all color schemes and sizes, you are sure to find many you will want for your own. Wall hangings are a simple way to invite Africa into your home.

Nothing is wasted in Africa. In Mombasa dead coconut palm leaves are made into lamp shades. They may be dyed a variety of colors or may be natural in color. The palm leaf shades allow light to pass in various degrees to create an effect much like flickering flames of a campfire.

African ornaments add to the sense of Africa when added to your home’s décor. Online you will find be able to obtain any and all of the African items you need to redo your home no matter whether you are simply switching floor rugs or doing a major overhaul and replacing furniture in addition to redoing the window treatments and wall hangings.

When shopping online for your African themed décor, be sure to look for Fair Trade items to assure that the craftsmen and artists receive a fair income to continue their trade.

Nana Frimpong

Nana Frimpong is the chief carver for the king of the Ashanti. Frimpong’s artistry has been featured on BBC’s The World program, and in periodicals including Business Week, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Washington Post. He is also featured in Keepers of the Arts, a beautiful hardcover book available through Novica.

Check out some of his work over here.

“I am currently the chief carver for the king of the Ashanti, because of my great ability in carving. Some of my work for the king includes objects with the gye nyame (symbol for the supremacy of God), stools, staffs and other royal and ceremonial objects. I have trained and qualified some ten men in the art of skilled carving. I draw inspiration from traditional kente cloth designs, from my family background, and from our rich Ashanti tradition.”

“After leaving school I took up carving as a trainee under my father, Kojo Duah. Later, Professor Ablade Glover of the University of Science and Technology spotted my work. I ended up staying under this man’s tutelage from 1970 to 1972, compiling additional skills and experience through his direction and guidance. This led me to decide to establish my own workshop.

“I would like the outside world, especially those who buy my works, to know that Ghana has a lot to offer – not only in terms of human resources, but also very good products and artworks like the ones that I create. Every carving that I make has a message; we hope that people will enjoy and appreciate the messages of our culture.

“My dream has always been to invest in my children’s education. I am happy to say that this is now possible – two of my sons are in university, the first of our family to obtain a higher education. My other primary goal is to help my community, so that the poverty that plagues them will be eradicated completely. Above all, I wish to help make it possible for peace and tranquility to prevail in my community and the nation of Ghana as a whole.

“My advice to the world is that we should as a matter of urgency stop all wars so as to make the world a better place for everybody to live in. If we all cherished hard work and dedicated ourselves to our professions, the world would be a more peaceful place.”

Artisan update (2009): “I feel close to Novica because, since we met in 2004, I’ve been able to realize my dream of providing my children with an education. I have also acquired two cars as well as some land and in some of it I plant cocoa — all of this thanks to Novica clients. I have gained a lot of respect from members in my community and what’s more, people who once disrespected the carving profession have now had a change of mind after seeing the benefits I am enjoying through Novica. Now that I’m in my 60’s, I consider my relationship with Novica as my retirement package. Thank you!”

 

http://www.novica.com/artistdetail/index.cfm?aid=1482