Woodcarving is an especially important economic activity for the Makonde of Mozambique, the Makonde of Tanzania, and the Senegalese of Western Coastal Africa, among others. These cultures have developed new forms of wooden sculpture as a direct response to the tourist trade in Africa. Rather than adapting traditional works, they have developed new types of sculpture using … [Read more...] about African Tourist-Trade Figural Art Researched by Cal Wylie
The importance of motherhood in Africa has encouraged the creation and use of fertility figures throughout many different cultures. The Akan-related cultures of what is today southern Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, such as the Asante and the Fante, have created the akua’ba figure (plural akua’ma) to help infertile women become pregnant. The creation of the akua’ba is based on the … [Read more...] about Akua’ma and Akua’ba-Influenced Art Researched by Sarah Teel and Nicole Manhart