Though a majority of West Africans have now adopted Abrahamic religions such as Islam or Christianity, there are still pockets of people who adhere to the spirituality of their ancestors. Even among those who’ve embraced imported religions, vestiges of their traditional beliefs systems remain manifestly visible in the masked dances, in the festivals and celebrations, …
Nin sogo. Nin sogo tè sogo ye. Nin sogo ye jinè ye. This animal. This animal is not an animal. This animal is a spirit *Chant of the Malian Masquerade Sogo bò (Bamana – the animals come forth) or Do bò (Bozo – the secret comes forth) Sogo bò, Through the Eyes of the Observer “We were in the center of the village and …
There isn’t a corner of the African continent where mancala games (“count and capture”) are unknown and where it is not widely preferred to other types of board games. Although it looks simple, it is not a game of luck but of skill, calculation and strategy: its variations and complexities have often been compared to …
“When an Agama lizard sees you coming, it jumps onto a wall. It doesn’t fall because it has ‘special’ powers. Those powers are the same that we masons use. Those are secret.” ― Master Mason Konbaba Tennepo The Master Mason The master mason makes his way through the maze of twisting alleyways, staircases, …
Elders are considered the repository of wisdom in West African societies. It’s fitting then, that, in 1985, the widely-traveled and wise Malian humanist, writer and ethnologist, Amadou Hampâté Bâ (1900-1991) addressed the upcoming generation with a touching, timeless letter that is just as relevant today. An open letter to the youth My dear young people, He who …
“The word friendship in our society comes from this fruit. You must split it in two; one hand cannot clap; it takes two to make a sound. Everything that I do in art, as a visual form of expression, is [inspired] by this fruit. The kola nut, which has ritual and divine representation in the …
Of any region on the African continent, West Africa had the biggest concentration of ancient kingdoms and empires in its pre-colonial history. It’s no easy task to capture snapshots of West Africa at various points in its evolution. Images of even the most historically important realms — Mali, Songhai, Ghana, Ashanti, etc. —, with their …
Whether kicking up red Sahelian dust or the sands of the lower-lying coastal plains, the footsteps of twins throughout West Africa leave an indelible print along a customarily unified, synchronous path. The Temne of Sierra Leone tell of mythological twin brothers miraculously stitching together two diverging roads, forever fusing their destinies. On whatever West African …
For the first part of the Sahara series, see Birth and Evolution of a Desert. The harsh desert conditions of the Sahara, as we know it today, prohibited extensive contact between northern Africa and their southern neighbors for a very long time. Before the camel was introduced, people did undertake the journey on foot or …
The West African puppeteer lurches, leans and sways, giving himself over to the demands of his carved creation. He is at once ajogi, a Yoruba dancer of the wooden image, and nyamakala, a Malinke force-handler, as he pulls on the ropes and rods of some of the oldest and richest of Africa’s surviving puppetry traditions. …