“Africans value children, ancestral power or energy, the wisdom of the elders, education, rituals, ceremonies and prosperity for all,” she said. “Secret societies educate people of all ages, gradually over a lifetime, with rituals in which additional information about symbols and cultural traditions is taught to those who guard and respect it.”
Wahlman arranged the objects by country so visitors can follow geographically from Guinea Bissau in the far west, the show's starting point, east to Nigeria, and then south to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. While very effective in its presentation of cultural styles and art forms, the exhibit might have benefited from some editing.
Ancestral power, an overarching theme of African art, is based on the idea that one's deceased ancestors may be called upon for good luck and protection. A wood granary shutter containing a wooden lock from the Dogon culture in Mali typifies this belief. Its numerous images of ancestors carved in relief remind that the granary was protected by ancestral power.
Elephant
Mask . Bamileke Culture, Cameroon Gelbard Collection
The exhibit is presented by the University of Missouri-Kansas City art and art history department and the Belger Arts Center for Creative Studies. It contains material from Wahlman's own collection and that of Kansas City-based Raymond Lake, as well as works from the New York collection of David Gelbard, the largest component of the show.
A Korhogo cloth, which Wahlman purchased in 1973, originates from Ivory Coast. The cloth presents images of Senufo masked dancers, snakes, birds and antelopes, among other creatures painted with a dark brown dye that “bonds” with the cloth. Functioning as both a commercial and a decorative object, cloths such as this one were made to sell to Africans, Europeans and the tourist trade.
Horse-tail flywhisks, produced by the Ashanti culture in Ghana, function as symbols of power and authority. The flywhisks, sporting handles covered in gold, are part of an ensemble associated with chiefs and other dignitaries, although they are primarily carried and used by their attendants.
Made to honor the ancestors, a Nigerian Egungun costume is worn over the head and shoulders and used in a dance by young men who see through its mesh frontispiece. According to Wahlman, the cowrie shells sewn into the costume indicate that it was made to honor someone from a Yoruba royal family; cowrie shells were once a form of currency and are still considered a symbol of wealth.
An elaborately beaded elephant mask from Cameroon references the animal as a symbol of power. Typical of those found in secret societies within the Bamileke kingdoms, it is worn with animal pelts by Elephant Society dancers that appear in a somber procession while carrying spears and horsetails.
A wooden charm, or oath taking figure called nkisi nkondi, originates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Shaped like a two-headed dog, the charm contains multiple nails inserted one by one, used to seal the oath and activate the charm by making it angry enough to work.
It's important to remember that objects like these, when placed in a gallery or museum setting, are removed from the ceremonial and ritualistic context. While the number of objects gathered here is perhaps too much to take in in a single visit, the exhibit deserves kudos for its effective presentation of cultural styles and the staggering variety of art forms it encompasses.
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THE SHOW
“The African Art Experience” continues at the Belger Arts Center for Creative Studies, 2100 Walnut St.,
Missouri Kansas, through May 7.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; on First Fridays from 6 to 9:30; and by appointment. Docents available. Call (816) 474-3250 for information or to schedule tours of the exhibit.
global arts Maude Southwell
Wahlman
