2007/2008 COURSE CATALOGUE

NAIROBI, KENYA

Course: MARY AFST 572: Introduction to East African Art: its Secular and Religious Themes

Course Overview: 
The course explores the various forms and types of East African art, the people that produce it, the ideas that promote it, and their functions within social, cultural and spiritual contexts. The aim is that the students understand East African art as it is understood by the people who produce it. The expectation is that, afterwards, the students should be able to teach the material to others.

Course Description:
The course is designed to make students explore, understand and appreciate the complex dimensions of East African art. Relationships of various art forms such as sculpture, painting, architecture, graphics, weaving and pottery. Their development in different cultures from ancient to modern times. Critical analysis of cross-cultural influences. 

Part One: Deals with the general problems of systematic studies of East African art, the different types of art forms, the people that produce it, the sociocultural factors promoting it and the characteristics of the works.

Part Two: Deals with specific concepts such as:  rites of passage, lineal ideology, fertility, ancestorship.

Part Three: Deals with contemporary works of art of East Africa and their secular and religious implications.

Each lecture will specify field research projects relating to the issues under discussion. Each student will focus on one ethnic group.

Course Outline:

Introduction to the concept of Art in general 

• Definitions of art

• The nature of African Art/East African art in particular

a) General Introduction: Problems of studying East African arts.
b) A cross-cultural survey of the peoples and factors promoting art in East Africa.
c) General characteristics and types of East African art.

The concept of African Art/East African Art 

• Different definitions and approaches to African Art/East African Art

• Problems in the study, understanding and documentation of East African Art

• Different types and forms of Art in East Africa

• A survey of the major ethnic groups engaged in Art production 

Sociocultural factors promoting Art production in East Africa 

• The Rites of Passage expressed in East African Art

a) 1) Birth, naming and circumcision rites (fertility Rites)
    2) Adolescence and initiation rites.

b) 1) Adulthood, maturity and marriage
    2) Old-age and secret societies

c) 1) Death, burial and funeral rites
    2) Ancestorship, veneration and commemoration

d) African religion and East African art.
e) Christian and Islamic themes in contemporary East African art
f) Problems and implications of adapting East African art to religious and secular themes

• Religion, Royalty, Leadership, politics, education, trade/commerce/tourism.

• Agricultural festivals, health and traditional medicine, judiciary, security and the implements of war, cosmetology/ornamentation and body adornment. 

• Entertainment, music and musical instruments, costumes and fashion design, hairstyles and general beautification. 

The concept of the Ancestor 

• Definition of the ancestor, criteria of selection, different levels of ancestorship and types of Ancestors and commemoration

Critical analysis of Art works/critical issues in Art appreciation 

• Guidelines for observation and criticism.

Art and Artist 

• Imagination 

• Originality 

• Meaning and style 

• Self expression and audience 

• Tastes

• Looking at art :- The visual elements :- Line. color, light, composition, form, space, meaning in context, time and motion. 

• Looking at art:- The principles of design:- unity and variety (harmony), balance, emphasis and focal point, proportion and scale, rhythm. 

• Observation and criticism. Methodological approaches to the documentation of Art works. 

• Different approaches to the study of East African Art. e.g., ethnographic approach, historical, geographical, archeological, contemporary, political, as an element of everyday life, as an instrument of religion, commerce, education, trade or traditional medicine, or according to the materials, tools, techniques or styles or according to the socio-cultural factors or according to their functions. 

Selected topics in East African Art 

• Kamba Art: woodcarving, basketry, gourd engravings, etc. 

• Kisii soapstone carvings, materials, tools, techniques, styles, subject matter, meanings.

• Maasai, Swahili, Luo and Luhya Arts; materials, tools, techniques and styles. 

Contemporary Art works

• Survey of selected Christian religious Art works in Kenya with special reference to the Kenyatta University Catholic chapel artworks-Africanization of Christian religious figures. 

• Religious themes in tourist/commercial art in Kenya, a survey. 

Graphic Arts in Kenya today

• A survey of cartoon strips in the daily newspapers, posters, bill-boards, banners, corporate logos/emblems, coat of arms, flags, etc.; imagery, symbolism and meanings. 

The role of the artist in Kenyan society 

• A survey of some selected traditional and contemporary artists in Kenyan society. Galleries, Museums, Cultural centers and curio shops and dealers. 

• A survey of their roles in the promotion of art in Kenya/East Africa. 

Art in Educational institutions 

• A survey of art and crafts in selected primary schools in Kenya; and art and design in secondary schools in Kenya. 

• Survey of the colleges and universities. Buru Buru Institute of Fine Arts (BIFA); Kuona Trust, National Museums of Kenya (workshop), Nairobi; Kigumo Teachers Training College. Karatina; Kisii College-Kisii; Kenyatta university department of Fine Art; university of Nairobi department of Design 

Issues and controversies 

• No/inadequate publications means no art. Lack of ritual means no art. The rejection of formally trained artists by the major traders in African Art. The preference for NAIVE or untrained or self taught artists over the others 

Overview of the course.

Challenges and the future of East African Art. 

TEXT BOOKS:

Willet, Frank.  (1971). African Art. New York: Oxford University Press.

Segy, Ladislas. (1975). African Sculpture Speaks. Fourth Edition. New York: Da Capo Press Inc. 

Brain, Robert. (1980). Art and Society in Africa. London: Longman Ltd. 

Senoga-zake, George. (1986). Folk Music of Kenya. Nairobi: Uzima Press. 

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Rattray, R.S. (1927). Religion and Art in Ashanti. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 

Fouquer, Roger. (n.d.). The Makonde and their Sculpture. Dar es Salaam: National Arts of Tanzania. 

D'Azevedo, Warren (Ed.). (1973). The Traditional Artist in African Societies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 

Delange, Jacqueline. (1974). The Arts and Peoples of Black Africa. New York: E.P. Dutton. 

Gerbrands, A. A. (1957). Art as an element of Culture, especially in Negro Africa. Leiden: E.J Brill. 

Holy & Ladislaw. (1967). The Art of Africa: Masks from Eastern & Southern Africa. London.

Leiris Michel & Jacqueline Delange. (1968). African Art. New York:  Golden Press. 

Biebuyck, D. P. Lega Culture: Art, Initiation and Moral Philosophy Among a Central African People. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973.

Wassing R.S. (1968). African Art, its Background and Traditions. Lagos: Konecky and Konecky. 

Horton, .R. (1960). The gods as guests: An aspect of Kalabari religious life. Lagos: Nigeria Magazine. 

Richards, Audrey I. (1982). Chisungu: A Girl's Initiation Ceremony among the Bemba of Zambia. (Reprint). London: Routledge. 

Bruce, Lincoln. (1975). The Religious Significance of Women's Scarifications among the TIV. Africa XIV, 3. 

Fisher, Angela. (1984). Africa Adorned. New York: Abrams. 

Beckwith, Carol. (1990). African Ark: People and Ancient Cultures of Ethiopia and  the Horn of Africa. New York: H.N Abrams. 

Roberts Allen F. (1995). Animals in African Art: From the Familiar to the Marvelous. New York: Museum for African Art.

Apostolos Cappadona, Diane. (1996). Encyclopedia of Women in Religious Art. New York: The Continuum Publishing Company.

Phillips, Tom. (1999). Africa: The Art of a Continent. Munich; New York: Prestel.