Ask Mama Afrika

2009-09-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

"Why should students learn about African art? After all, isn't it primarily primative art which is made for rituals and stuff? I mean, it isn't like its Monet or Van Gogh or something."

A couple of weeks ago, while waiting in line and chatting with a friend; I was discussing the fact that I knew a young man (of African heritage), who had recently attended one of the most prestigious art schools that the United States has to offer. I was talking to this young man, whom I know very well and asking him how his studies had gone and how his new school had impressed him thus far. He gave me a rather interesting reply: "I was in class the other day and we were discussing art history. The professor very rapidly skimmed over African art history and proclaimed that we would, in essence, not be studying it as it offered little. It was her view that since African objects such as baskets, statues, masks, etc were produced primarily for practical use; they weren't really art. They had not been well thought out in their design as far as asthetics go; but were instead strictly utilitarian."

The young man, who comes from a family which is both European and African in heritage; was shocked. But that isn't the real story. It would in fact have ended there...

But some months later, (a few weeks ago now); I was in line talking to a friend about African fabrics. She has had a love of African fabrics for a great many years and was discussing a book she recently acquired which had beautiful photographs of cloth woven by the Asante peoples. The discussion soon turned to Adinkra symbols and their use in cloth as well as other art pieces.

Someone in the line overheard our discussion just as I had recounted what the young man had said to me about his "top of the line" art school and my surprise that there wasn't more taught about the richness of African art there. Her reply was the topic of this post.

Before I had the chance to answer her, the woman I was talking to replied. This is not a quote of her reply; but it is a fair expression of the overall ideas she conveyed:

"Have you never heard of Picasso, Matisse or the Cubist period?" African art played a HEAVY influence on many of Europe's finest artists. This is without even mentioning its current influence on modern painters, sculpters and other artists. And it goes without saying that African art strongly influenced past and more recent African-American, Cuban, Carribean and other artists who are part of the African diaspora. It is called "primative art" by some more because of their lack of understanding than due to its perceived lack of sophistication. Learn more about the continent and the diversity of the people who created those fabrics, masks and yes, even baskets and you'll grow to understand that their art is as valuable asthetically as anyone else's.

To the woman who replied in my stead, I simply say "Thank you for doing such a great job at speaking for Africa's artists."

2008-01-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

Hello again everyone and Happy New Year!

I would first like to apologize for not having any posts earlier; but you will soon see what I've been so busy on (hint: BIG changes coming to MamaAfrika.com soon!)

I was talking to a really nice woman today on the phone and our conversation brought something to mind that I would like to share with you. It is something I briefly touched on during a talk I gave in Vienna a few months ago and I'm happy today's conversation reminded me to post a note to all of you here:

Donations. I'm sure that some of you have been approached at some time or another by someone at work or church or maybe your child's school asking for donations of clothing or other items which would be sent to Africa. Despite the generous gesture; next time say no and offer this bit of advice instead: "Send money and stimulate the local economy instead."

It isn't the idea of sending tennis shoes or dolls that bothers me, far from it! But what I think many people are either unaware of or perhaps just don't give any thought to is that Africa is a continent where most things can be found and almost always cheaper than they can be purchased in the West. Let's think about this logically shall we? Let's take a fictional scenario as our example of responsible donating:

Jane wants to help poor children in Rwanda and figures a good way to do so would be to ask the members of her local church to donate used children's clothing at next Sunday's service so that she can mail them to a church that they are affiliated with in Kigali, Rwanda. Sounds like a lovely idea doesn't it? Yes it is; but there is a more socially responsible way of accomplishing the same task:

Instead of paying the shipping (and often bogging the receiver down with import taxes in addition... why not raise some money and send it to someone at the church in Rwanda to ask them to purchase clothing directly. After all, there is a local economy which probably includes women who make their living selling used clothing from market stalls.

By taking this approach, Jane has 1) saved in shipping charges-- thus having extra money which could be helping Africans instead of the postal service 2) avoided often heavy import taxes which many African countries levy on imports 3) still provided the children she wanted to assist with clothing to wear and 4) supported the local economy by purchasing the goods from local businesses in Rwanda.

Think about Jane the next time you consider a fundraiser for the poor. Or, the next time you hear someone talking about gathering items for donation to Africa; let them know that you are sure they have the best intentions. But remind them that unless it is a donation of items that really can't be found in the area they are donating them to... there might be a more responsible way of accomplishing their mission.

Blessings,
Mama

2007-09-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

"Dear Mama Afrika,

I heard that Africans did have written languages; but I thought that they only used storytelling and didn't write things down until recently. Could you tell me which it is?

Thank you.
J."

Dear J,
First of all, thank you in your interest in learning more about African history and culture.

To answer your question, yes some African cultures have had written languages, in one form or another, for a very long time. I'll mention just two of them; although there are others.

In the Akan culture, one of the ways that stories were told was through the use of symbols. These "pictures" were representations which tell an entire tale, or which can be simplified into one-lined proverbs. The symbols are then printed on fabric which is worn in the form of clothing. The symbols, called Adinkra symbols, are also carved, etched, painted or otherwise put into daily use items like pottery, jewelry, stools, gold weights, etc. At Mama Afrika's carvings stand, ( http://www.mamaafrika.com/products/carvings3.php ), you will find some items such as stools which include some of these symbols as well as an explaination of what the symbols mean.

In countries like Eritrea and Ethiopia, there are even written languages which are more easily recognizable to someone outside of Africa as they include letters which are connected to make up words. Ge'ez is one of the world's oldest written languages. Although it is now only used by the Coptic Church, it is the language that many others such as Tigrinia (in Eritrea), Amharic (Ethiopia) and Tigray (Ethiopia) originate from.

You can think of Ge'ez as the Latin equivalent for much of Europe. Just as Spanish, French or Italian find their roots in Latin; Tigrinia, Amharic and Tigray find their roots in Ge'ez. And just as it is only the Catholic Church which still uses Latin; it is only the Coptic Church (a form of Christianity which is closely related to the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches) which uses Ge'ez.

The Ge'ez language uses "sounds" more than it does letters. For example, there is a letter which represents the "b" sound. Then that "letter" is modified to add a vowel sound to it. So, the following sounds would have slightly different ways of being written: "b", "ba", "be" "bi" "bo", etc...

To learn more about Ge'ez, you can visit this site: http://www.ethiopianhistory.com/Ge'ez

I hope this answers your questions. As you can see, Africans have been using written languages in one form or another for thousands of years!

All my best,
Mama

2007-08-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Moving to Africa

I received a phone call yesterday from a nice gentleman who wanted to know where to start. You see, he intends to move permanently to Ghana in a couple of years and has no idea where to get started in his preparations.

I'm no moving consultant; but I was struck by his desire to move to Africa and bring his skills with him so as to assist in the development Ghana in whatever way he could. I must admit honestly that he didn't have a great knowledge of the country or the things he would need to do to get there. But again, his passion impressed me. With two years to go, he has the time to become informed and here is a piece of the advice I gave:

Before deciding on moving to a foreign country, find out the basics by visiting the US State Department's website (or equivalent organization from your country of citizenship) and find out what they advise for citizens who want to live abroad in that country. You will often find information concerning everything from health insurance, real estate, schools, and an array of other concerns you might have while living there. Then contact the local embassy or consulate from that nation. For example, the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington D.C can inform him of the visa requirements and tell him what things he will and will not be able to do as a foreigner living in Ghana.

Africa has a major problem of brain drain. Thousands of Africans leave their home countries each year looking for opportunity elsewhere and they take their training, skills and experiences with them. It is clear that there is a role for those who are interested in reversing the "Brain Drain" and immigrating to African countries in order to contribute their skills and abilities.

But first, check out the area you would like to move to... thouroughly. Good intention, without good research, can be more harmful than good: not only to the people you are going to help; but to you as well.

Blessings,
Mama

2007-08-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

A few times a week, I receive emails from people across the globe. The questions are as diverse as the people asking them; but they have one thing in common: they are about Africa.

School children write to ask why Africans are poor or what children in Ghana eat for dinner. Women ask me the safest African country to visit alone or what they can do to support a woman in Rwanda so that she too can feed her children. Some people ask about investing in African companies or how their church can do a fundraiser to support a sister church in Kenya.

The questions are varied, that is for sure. But the other day I started to think that posting the answers to some of the questions I receive might be a fun thing to do. It's like teachers say to their students: "Ask the question and know you aren't wasting my time because there is certainly someone else in the class who is wondering the same thing.

So please feel free to ask your questions concerning Africa, Africans and issues relavent to the African continent. I am far from a "know it all"; but I'll try to answer most of them depending on my time constraints. And when I can't answer directly, I'll try to point you in the right direction to find the right answer or solution.

Please note though that any inappropriate questions or abusive posts will be deleted immediately.

OK, now its up to you...