Africa is well known for its art and craft works, most of these arts works are found in the form of sculptures, fabric work, decorative items, musical instruments like drums, and paintings. Most of the statues will be carved in the form of humans, which represents great leaders. They make their art work in such a way that each and every piece of art reveals their tradition and culture. Normally Africans DO NOT show affection to each other, they make their art work which resembles their culture.
The statues of animals in African art are included with human figures, to further give praise to the person being honored. For example, a horse is considered a very noble animal, and including one in a sculpture of a man or woman means that person is being held in very high regard. Most contemporary statues are made of either stone or carved of wood.
Evidences of African art could be found as early as 500 BC, with carved rocks in the Sahara and sculptures from Nigeria. The use of bronze, brass and other metalwork, as well as the incorporation of terracotta, ivory and other embellishments were attributed to go back as far as 10th century AD, and usually reserved for royalty. African art forms that were not statues or figurines were still meant to be three-dimensional pieces. Decorative fabrics are meant to be worn, with the wearer becoming part of the art piece, while wall paintings, usually carved from wood, though flat, become part of the residence that it is hung in.
A large part of African arts and crafts is traditional arts, which were deeply woven into the daily life and culture of the different African peoples, and now found on display in most museums. An example of these is the African mask. Africans use masks in ceremonial and ritual practices, usually in celebration, but also to prepare for war, to initiate a young warrior, and before a harvest.
The styles and designs of African masks differ according to each country and each tribe . For example, the Dan people of the Ivory Coast and Liberia have wooden masks carved with African features, such as wide foreheads, flat noses, wide and full lips, accented by attached strands of rope to look like hair. The Punu people of Congo, Cameroon and Gabon have wooden masks with wooden hair, usually piled high as they represent wealthy women, and decorated with long strands of raffia along the jaw line. The whitened faces of these masks serve to scare off witches and evil spirits.
Other African art and craft include the old African tradition basket. Esths and Gumare tribes of Botswana are the two places which is famous for African baskets. These baskets were usually carried over the head, but as the culture grew, they modified the baskets and were carried on the shoulders. As a result hand bags came in to existence and they were made with some of the artistic work of African culture. And they used some of the rare materials like mud cloth and suede to manufacture bags. Even today there is a great demand of African arts among the people around the world. Africa has a great name on its culture and tradition.
About the Author:
Herman Wheeler has a great love on African Arts and Crafts for a number of years. Along with the enjoyment from sharing his love for African Arts and Crafts, he has also learned a lot about African arts and culture. Fill your home with the miracle and wonder of original hand-made African Arts and Crafts at THE AFRICAN ART WHEEL AND CRAFTS
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