AN AFRICAN ART MUSEUM CAN BE A GREAT SOURCE OF AFRICA’S CULTURE AND HERITAGE INFORMATION

AN AFRICAN ART MUSEUM CAN BE A GREAT SOURCE OF

 AFRICA’S CULTURE AND HERITAGE INFORMATION

         By Eric Sindabi

Archaeologists and Anthropologists believe that art is man’s best way of communicating and expressing ideas, thoughts, feelings, emotions and experiences. Indeed art is a human activity and culture of imitating nature and understanding. It is that artificial form of life that human beings create by imagination and observations.

Philosopher Richard Wollheim who served as president of the British Society of Aesthetics (BSA) between 1992 and 2003 in his book ; Art and its Objects describes art as “one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture”. However most recent ideas by social scientists that were influenced by the works of a German Philosopher Martin Heidegger construe art as a means by which society develops for itself a medium of self identity and expression.

Through art people in society develop cultural legacy. In this we can learn about their history and way of life. We can tell about their beliefs, traditions, economic aspirations, knowledge of the environment and spirituality.

The art forms materials that were discovered in caves and other archaeological sites in ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome among others have indeed helped Anthropologists define the history and character of mankind.

AFRICA

The African continent is a pride of the black race of human kind and so far a depicted cradle of mankind. The origin and nature of the black people is both a source of curiosity and unfulfilled anxiety in anthropologic studies all over the world for its unique cultural diversity.

In their books portraying Africa as the cradle of mankind, anthropologists Charles Finch –Echoes of the Old Darkland: Themes from the African Eden and John Jackson –God, Man and Civilization emphasize that human kind originated in Africa around the Great Lakes region around the Equator “pigmented and black”

The African Art history precedes any written records with some discoveries dating as far as 6,000 years ago. The art forms deeply predicted and reflected the rich natural environment, wild life, plant and human beings of Africa. Recent art discoveries include cave findings in South Africa dating some 70,000 years ago. Artistic forms of African origin that thrive in museums and other art centres across the world that reflect the coveted cultural backgrounds of the black man have however been rated among the best by leading art stakeholders like; The World Community of Museums (WCM) and the International Council of African Museums (ICAM).

 The National Museums of African Art (NMAfA) founded in 1964 by Warren Robbins an American historian and art collector  is a perfect example of information centres across the world that dedicate their themes to African Art. The Museum located along Independence  Avenue in Washington DC in the US is a typical example of the diversity and uniqueness of the African culture that is reflected in African Art collections that attract millions of art lovers,archaeologists,researchers,students and thespians from within the country and worldwide annually.

While working for the US Embassy in Bonn,Germany in the late 1950’s Robbins had accidentally entered an antique shop where he got fascinated by an African curio item from the Yoruba people of Nigeria that he bought as a memento for his stay in Germany.

However, in the years that followed, the historian travelled across the world collecting African Art materials which were to be the foundation of the NMAfA a famous art centre in America that is dedicated at promoting African culture through showcasing African arts materials. 

The Museum’s art collections programmes centre on the theme that fosters on the discovery and appreciation of the visual arts of Africa as the cradle of mankind. With population of 6,000 employees, the centre boasts of about 130 million art collections of the African orient and is affiliated to a 100 other museums in America and across the world. It however incorporates other forms of arts of African origin including the performing arts and African Literature.

CELESTIAL BODIES

The current exhibition at the Museum’s gallery dabbed: African Cosmos: Stellar Arts explores the historical bequest African cultural and experiences in astrology. The showcase provides for a study and reflection of the African society’s legacy, beliefs, traditions and efforts to relate with the heavens as a mysterious part of the universe. It depicts the ways that celestial bodies like rainbows, stars, moon, eclipses, clouds and the sun serve as inspirational and symbols in the creation of Africa’s traditional and contemporary observations of the heavens.

It is part of the artistic knowledge that informs, explores and expresses the ritual practices in the traditional African cultures. The collections on show since June this year running up to February next year reflect and depict the universe intensely and place human beings relationship with the earth, sky and celestial bodies in harmony.

AFRICAN GOLD

Past exhibitions at the Museum include; Ethiopian Icons-a showcase of paintings that focus on the ancient Ethiopian Christian religious rulers described as “Icons” who in the 4^th century played a crucial role in unifying the diverse Ethiopian populations through the Orthodox Church traditions.

Other notable recent past showcases at the NMAfA include; The Fabric of Moroccan Life, African Gold: Selections from the Museum of Fine Arts, Resonance from the past: African Sculpture from the New Orleans Museum of Art, Central Nigeria Unmasked, Two Nigerian Shrine Figures: Identity of the Sacred and selected African Musical Instruments among many others.

Since the summer of 2007, performing arts programmes at the Museum showcase the arts and cultures of Africa. The programme has steadily increased performances of local and foreign African artists in dance, music and poetry.

On the other hand, Education programmes at the Museum bring to life the cultures of Africa through talks, lectures and workshops that feature African artists, writers and academicians. The African Cinema programme  on the other hand addresses a wide spectrum of the human experiences since time immemorial comprising of themes like;racialism,self determination, gender issues,politics,history,love faith and religion.

The Museum has opportunities for internships, scholarships and fellowships apart from employment to people from across the world who wishes to be recognized with the wonders of the African Art.