African Mask – A unique exposition of a cultural language

(Erasmus Justus d’Almeida)

erasmusdal@yahoo.com

Abstract

This paper outlines the challenges, opportunities, and potentials in the use of masks and other art forms as a means of communication and also in understanding the cultural background, belief systems and religious practices of ethnic groups in the Sub-Saharan West Africa, with Ghana as a representative culture.   It presents certain basic facts that one needs to understand in order to articulate the general significance of various West African art forms with particular emphasis on contemporary African masks, all with the aim of uniting the past and the present, and promoting cultural education, trade and tourism. Problems facing the continuing developments of masks are identified and solutions and strategies to harness the full potential of masks as an indispensable tool in communication are discussed.

Introduction

It’s common knowledge that African masks and masking are all part of a unique cultural communication system we refer to as ‘the arts’. Through the work of art, we are able to gain knowledge of a specific time, place, age and culture of people. The artists immerse viewers into the world of images, symbols and signs, bypassing rationality and logic. In this way, ideas and concepts are transferred in a way that transcend everyday thinking, gaining access to emotional and intuitive parts of the mind that normally may not be brought to bear upon a subject.¹ Every type of African mask and masking has something to communicate about the environment from which the artist comes.

A mask by dictionary definition is anything used to hide, protect, or cover part or all of the face. But there is more to that in reality, particularly with respect to African traditional masks and masking. It was agreed in the Masks of Transformation Conference’s (2005) call for papers that the face is central to the human conception of identity, which gives a mask the singular expressive power to transform identity in both the individual and a culture as a whole.² To better understand any piece of African tribal mask or any other art works from the region, it is important to understand the artist’s own understanding of existence, traditional experience, personality, substance, the state of being and human’s role in the universe which is both physical and spiritual. It must be noted that these are holistic as well as interrelated, and it is incumbent upon people to maintain equilibrium between these in order to experience the fullness of being. An Akan aphorism says, “If a child washes his hands well, he could eat with kings” That means that to be human is to affirm one’s humanity by recognizing the humanity of others and, on that basis, establish respectful human relations with them. It defines how the being “wholeness, oneness, the state of the body and soul being in equilibrium” of an African, is anchored in the Universe; the physical and the spiritual.³ Since the spirit being is not visible to all, the African attempts to project the spirit being to the visible eye through various means. However, it must be clearly pointed out that these various means are only a conduit to an end and not an end in themselves. In other words, they are not the objects of worship.

Materials, designs, images, signs and symbols within the numerous communities in Africa are brought to bare on masks and masking to communicate with participants/viewers, and it’s much easier to understand if one has experience within those communities. The selections are made to reflect the purpose of their usage at each organized function, be it social, political or religious.  Among the Akans of Ghana, for instance, the ‘Adinkra’ symbols play major role in masks and masking as a communicative tool. Their basic understanding remains the same, but while various communities within the sub-region share some, certain communities characterize other elements only.  The history of tribes in Africa is one of human movements from one region to the other as a result of wars, colonization, slavery, and trade. The geographical maps as seen today in the region are only political and, in truth, are imaginary lines. The Akans for instance are not only found in Ghana, but also in the Ivory Coast, Togo and Niger. They took their own culture with them and incorporated it into their new environments. That explains the commonality of the elements in Akan masks, but having said that, it must be noted that many symbols and designs are distinct to particular communities and can be used as a basis for identification. Again, the meanings assigned to them depend on the communities’ own experiences, needs and occasions.

Perhaps the other issue that needs to be confronted in our understanding of masks is the different languages and dialects in the communities. There are over 200 dialects in the Sub-Saharan African region. It is important in our understanding because, apart from the group identification with the masks, the various mask indeed have their specific origins and names. It is very common today to see such descriptions as Baule Mask, Senufo Mask, Igbo Mask, Dan Mask, Akan mask and others. That is in fact, generic. This only describes the collective group from which those masks are identified and not the meaning of the masks themselves. Usually, each mask has its own specific name and knowing it helps a great deal in understanding the philosophy behind it and the purpose for making it. Unlike most European masks, an African mask generally serves a function.  The large groupings above are even further made of a number of diverse subgroups. Akans are for example further subdivided into Fante, Ashante, Akwapim, Gomoa, Agona, Akyem, Baule and so are the Senufo and the other broad groupings. Again, some of them are not found in just one location, but stretch across two or three countries in the region. Therefore, it is ambiguous when a mask is simply called Akan mask, Dan Mask, or Senufo mask.  Masks should be called by their specific names and then identified with a community and a country to aid in the communication process. African artisans should take that initiative instead of just accepting the standard, generic descriptions of their works, which are often created by foreigners.

Masks and the Artists

The artist is usually a member of a gifted family that specializes in mask making or woodcarving, and therefore, the craftsmanship is passed from one generation to the other. There are other artists, who simply belong to groups of carvers that reproduce these masks for various purposes. In all the situations, the artist would have undergone a period of apprenticeship under an expert craftsman, either within the family or the group of professionals. They are initiated into the profession. A ritual also precedes the end of their apprenticeship.   Items meant for use by royal families or for ritual purposes are carved by appointed traditional artisans who undergo various stages of consecration from the cutting down of the tree to the presentation of the object for their specific function.  

Masks and Ceremonies/rituals

Belief in the Supreme Being is central to African traditional religion. However, within the divine hierarchy, there are many supernatural, deities, spirit beings and invisible powers of social control, some of whom can harm or bless the living depending on their roles and man’s attitude towards them. African traditional religion therefore mainly focuses on controlling these elements within the environment in favor of the living. Rituals are meant to exert control over the uncertainties of life by harnessing positive forces from ancestors, gods, or other spirits and by limiting negative forces. The performance of these rituals calls for special objects, including masks, headdresses, and statues. Many ritual objects are believed to house powerful spirits or to provide a means of communication with such spirits ⁵ Masks used in rituals or ceremonies, such as those in rites of passage, celebration of life or harvest, and living honor to the dead and for life hereafter, all serve only as means to an end. Mostly in ceremonies, the masks are part of complete religious regalia. They are not worn in isolation, but rather fit to special ritual dresses as a complete outfit. Detached from their full-body costumes, the mask serves no ritual purpose. Rituals, songs, and rhythmic movements of the body, hands and legs expressing social, religious and moral values to the participants accompany mask performers. In most cases, the spirits they represent possess the performers.  The design and the symbols on the masks communicate these same values.

Contemporary African Masks

Contemporary masks mimic the design and style of ritual or ceremonial masks plus the artisans own artistic impressions. They are inspired by antique traditional masks having an intrinsic artistic value, but are not necessarily to be used in a ritual or religious practice.  Most of them are qualified copies or reproduced for export and it is their sophistication and decorative qualities that count, and not their religious significance. We should remember that traditional African masks were never intended for the museum or to hang on wall for decoration; they served a function in the traditional society. In other words, they were not intended as art pieces in the Western understanding as they are appreciated today. Like all human institutions, African masks have gone through a period of transformation.

Challenges, Opportunities and Potentials of African Masks

Perhaps one of the challenges facing antique African tribal masks and other native artworks from the Sub- Saharan region are the raiding and illegal sale of these cultural treasures to the West. The tribal heads, chief’s palace, museums, universities, galleries and even cemeteries are being looted for objects of antiquity. The underlying motivation for that is poverty, as collectors and connoisseurs offer attractive packages for these items. Long dismissed by the Western art establishment as primitive and of interest only to ethnographers and anthropologists, African art has slowly come to be valued for its intrinsic beauty and artistic merit. A flurry of activity at major museums across Europe is evidence of its enhanced stature ⁴ The looting of the African cultural treasures for the West is scary and one wonders if there is any “real” piece of antique left in the continent of Africa. Attempt has been made by various countries concerned to enact laws that make the sale of these items illegal. Other known institutions like UNESCO alongside the International Council of Museums (ICOM) have taken action and put in place instruments to prevent and fight against illicit traffic in cultural property. But so long as poverty remains and collectors continue to take them, the illegal trafficking may continue.

Moreover, in recent times  “made in China” African Masks have surfaced in the European and American markets casting doubts on masks from the continent.  It should be reiterated that authentic African masks, unlike European masks, serve a function and, outside that function, have no significance. They were produced for a specific purpose and as part of regalia in African societies and were never intended to hang on a wall, stand still on a shelf. They are feared and with high probability, no native African will touch or sell those for fear of bringing bad omen to himself or the clan. The Akans in Ghana call this ‘Mmosuo’, meaning a taboo the consequence of which calls for the wrath of the soul or the spirit the object represents. Frankly speaking, one could wonder whether claims made even by some renowned western museums or some connoisseurs over their collections are correct, because some of these objects could never have gone out of their locations unless they were stolen.

Then comes to mind the question of what people mean when they say ‘authentic’ African masks. Various views exist and were expressed in a recent focus group interview. One school of thought indicated that they expect these African masks to have been made by traditional artisans and to come from Africa to justify the name. The other school of thought takes that description even further: that these masks where supposed to have been used once or several times in a ceremony and then given away. In addition, others took the word authentic into the world of antiquity dating back anywhere from thirty to hundred years. Mixes of these views also exist.  One concern here should be the use of the word “antiquity” when defining what is authentic. Does that mean that contemporary masks originating from the continent today are not authentic? Obviously, the answer is no because the African is incurably religious and customarily traditional. Africans continue to make masks.

Another, and perhaps greater, problem of African arts in general and African masks in particular is the question of documentation. Since these objects fulfill specific functions in real life experience and do not only represent craftsmanship or ‘art’ from the Western conception of the subject, records were hardly kept by way of marks, signature, dates, names or the exact names of the carvers. Therefore, it is very difficult to place African masks in history with precision. It’s an undertaken for the experts. In the past, history was passed on orally from one generation to the other and has its own setbacks.

Perhaps, the biggest challenge to deal with is the environment: the fast depletion of the forest and other natural sources of material. The wanton destruction of trees for timber export, activities of jigsaw-chain operators for firewood, road and housing constructions, and the exploitative nature of warmongers with motivated foreign support all have had their heavy toll on African art and culture. These are woods that took many years to grow naturally, but only took a day to destroy. The only solution here is reforestation. Some individuals, governmental and non-governmental organization are supporting this noble cause in a way but whether that will be effective or not will depend on a number of factors, including poverty, hunger, starvation, diseases, scientific research, education, and trade. What Africa needs is access to the developed market for fair prices plus good governance.

Conclusion:

The benefits of finding solutions to these challenges in an optimal mix will be substantial in helping African masks in particular, and African arts in general, realize their impact in the world.  Africans communicate with their environment through certain objects and ritual or ceremonial performances.  A careful study and understanding of these will increase our understanding of contemporary African art.  African masks can be a dramatic portrait of spirit beings, departed ancestors, and invisible powers of social control with something to communicate to living beings.  These complex ceremonial events and artworks express important social, religious, and moral values for the whole community and should be shared with and understood by other cultures. With careful attention to the mask’s artistic and symbolic detail, it is possible to fully perceive their values, meaning and beauty. An African masks is an excellent conversational piece.

Reference:

1. Rosie K, Primitive art as a means of communication, p 1

2. Naversen R. Chandler H., Masks of transformation Conference (2005) Call for papers

3. Kimmerle, H. A New Approach to African philosophy, African philosophy, Vol. 13 August 2000, p 189-197

4. Robinson, S and Aisha L, The Endengered Arts, Time Europe, June 18, 2001, Vol. 157 No. 24.

5. Microsoft, Encarta, Online Encyclopedia, “Mask”, 2005, htpp://encarta.msn.com 1997 – 2005 Microsoft Corporation

Citation format:

d’Almeida, Erasmus Justus (2005), African Mask – A unique exposition of a cultural language, Masks of Transformation Conference, 2 National Conference on Masks,  SIU, Carbondale, USA

Email contact:

erasmusdal@yahoo.com

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