The Blacksmith
To the percussive rhythm of the forge — clanging hammers, puffing bellows, hissing vapor — the West African blacksmith has been shaping the culture around him since the ancient, artistic, …
Category: Artistry
The visual culture of West Africa, from sculpture, ceramics, textiles, metalwork and architecture to the dynamic performance arts (dance, music) that bring traditional mask art to life.
The Masons of Djenné
The master mason makes his way through the maze of twisting alleyways, staircases, rising spires, and banco houses that not only typify Djenné, but designate it as a World Heritage …
The Puppeteer
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, …
Bògòlanfini, the Mythos behind Mudcloth
It was through the harnessing of natural materials ― the iron-rich mud of river-beds, the extracts of leaves, bark, and roots, and the energy of the intense West African sunlight …
The Weaver
Somewhere in the Futa Tooro region of Senegal, a Tukolor weaver, or mabube, reenacts an ancient ritual. He gathers his loom parts — pulley, wheel, shuttle, beater that have been …