African Art

Mme Kounte is one of our mudcloth painters. She has been painting for a long time, and is quite skilled in making the designs. She’s actually from the Bozo ethnic group, which is mainly comprised of fishermen from along the Niger River.  However, her husband, (also from the Bozo ethnic group) became a tailor and she went into mudcloth painting. She has five children, one of whom is shown here with her.  She likes to work on the mudcloth that she makes for us, and if you ever purchase a piece of mudcloth, know that Mme Kounte was probably one of the painters who painted on some of the creative designs in your piece of African paintings called mudcloth.

Friday’s Proverb

For many people, having art in the home is simply having a reprint of a painting by Van Gough or DaVinci and calling it a day, but the rich history of indigenous American art can add culture in the home.  Neo-mannerist art that depicts urban environments is often overlooked but it’s African American décor that can make a home that much better.

While there’s something to be said about the great artists of our time, finding American artists, particularly underrepresented styles can bring out a much richer sense of self and create a less cookie-cutter aesthetic.

Usman Sagara. This smiling gentleman works doing specialized traditional African carvings. He makes the Dogon seated couples for us, one of which he’s holding in this picture. His family origins are of the Duru ethnic group, a group in the Dogon region of Mali, West Africa. He is a very conscientious worker, always faithfully striving for high quality. Usman is a very serious family man, and has been working on traditional carvings ever since childhood.

Wednesday’s Recipe

African Squash and Yams (Futari)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small onion; chopped, pared and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 pound hubbard squash; pared and cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 medium-sized yams or sweet potatoes
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Cook and stir onion in oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling.

Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about five minutes longer.

The pure, luminescent mother of pearl has attracted attention for thousands of years. It is made out of the internal shells of mollusks, such as mussels and oysters. Mother of Pearl is commonly found in Egypt, Polynesia and the Philippines, where people from all over the world have traveled to bring it back to their own countries. Royalty from all over the world would use mother of pearl to build palaces and shrines. There are several different kinds of mother of pearl that are all used in the artwork at which you can find at NewAfricanAmericanStore.com along with other African American Home Décor.  There is white mother of pearl, which is from pearl-bearing oysters, and which has the highest reflective properties. Iridescent mother of pearl is a type in which the colors of pink and green are predominant. Stone mother of pearl is sturdier, and white with lower reflective properties. No matter which mother of pearl artifact you choose to own, you can be assured that it is something that will provide you years of enjoyment to come!  Check out the Mother of Pearl Chess set seen below this chess set is made of Mother of Pearl chess pieces.

This man, Kabine Coude, is a fun loving individual who takes great pride in his work. He also likes to joke around with those in the shop were he works. He lives in Bamako, the capital city of Mali, West Africa.  He works in an ebony shop; known all over the surrounding African continent for it is high quality ebony pieces.  He’s been working with ebony ever since he was a child, and loves the work he does to create African Art Decor. His family background is in Burkina Faso, where he is a part of the Mossi tribe, known by the Malians as having a reputation for their honesty, even in hard times. He is also married with a family.

Friday’s African Proverb

“Loving someone that does not love you is like loving the rain that falls in the forest”.
 (Western African proverb)

Sade Toure is a bronze caster in the Ivory Coast, in a village called Nangalako.  His family has lived there for as long as he can remember, and all of them have been bronze casters, and other African Art. They pass down the tradition from generation to generation. Sade is a real artist, with a passion for creative designs in bronze work.  Using the traditional lost-wax method, he is finding it harder and harder to find buyers for his traditional work. His traditional work is time consuming and most buyers simply want the lowest price they can get.  We were happy to find one of the remaining lost-wax artists and love the opportunity to display the traditional, premium quality, bronze work that he creates.  He is a family man, married with two children, a boy and a girl. Sade also works doing some farming in his nearby garden.

Wednesday’s Recipe

Hummus

 INGREDIENTS:

• Tin of chick peas (drained)
• 4 table spoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon grounded coriander
• 1 teaspoon grounded cumin
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in a blender and blend until almost smooth. Taste great on toasted bread, bagels, and crackers or in sandwiches.

Ebony wood is an exceptionally hard and beautiful wood found only in the Sahara desert regions of Africa. Its exceptional density not only makes it very heavy, but also gives it an incomparable sheen when polished. Because of the high value and heaviness of this wood, only the master carvers of Africa are able to use it for their craft. They use simple hand tools to produce the works of art sold at NewAfricanAmericanStore.com. In ancient days, the royalty of Persia and India would travel to West Africa to find ebony to use for scepters, sculptures and drinking chalices. Even now ebony is considered the most valued and treasured wood to be found. Ebony normally is brown on the outside of the tree; and black on the inside. The carvings often come as a beautiful mixture of black and brown; as well as the pure blackwood that is most well known. Each has its own special beauty. Like any wood, ebony is subject to drying and cracking: especially in dry climates. Your wood pieces should be cared for with occasional polishing with shoe polish or other moisturizing agents.  Click here to find other Black Art and African Décor.

There’s nothing quite as impressive as an elephant in the wild. If you’ve seen one at the zoo, you can begin to gauge its tremendous weight and size, but there’s still nothing to rival the feeling of seeing one without the benefit of any barriers or bars. Like any wild animal, it can act in unpredictable and unforeseen ways, but it’s particularly scary with the elephant because of its sheer size. Many guided African safaris offer this opportunity, and it shouldn’t be missed.

Even if the experience is somewhat intimidating or scary, it’s well worth it. And you’ll quickly find that elephants on the whole are sweet, loving, and surprisingly gentle creatures. That doesn’t mean, however, you should be careless or casual around them. But if you do decide to partake in any of these guided safaris, don’t forget to purchase commemorative elephant figurines. The experience is a once in a lifetime endeavor, and you can be reminded of that every time you see the figurine in your home.

A male with a weapon or animal (commonly a horse) is produced to show honor to departed ancestors. Animals are rarely sculpted for the purpose of showing the inward or outward beauty of the animal, but to give status to the person. Even today, many in Africa would consider the ownership of a horse to be of greater status than the ownership of an automobile. Showing a person with a horse would then be giving great honor to them. Sometimes people are shown with animals that are not really used; possibly even mythical. The purpose is to show the power given to one who rides such an animal, and the wealth that they must have. 

As women achieve significance through their children, men will often be honored in warfare. The one who goes to battle must have physical, emotional and spiritual energy to survive and to conquer. Thus we have the emphasis on weapons and the spoils of war in many African works.  See some African Figurines.

Wednesday’s African Recipe

Candied Yams from West Africa

 INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Med. Yams
• 1 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 8 Tbsp. Margarine
• 2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Step #1 - Peel yams and slice lengthwise.

Step #2 - Place yams in a large pot , cover with water, and bring to a boil.

Step #3 - Drain half of the water and put yams and remaining water in a large pan or skillet.

Step #4 - Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.

Step #5 - Bring to boil and cook approximately 3 minutes

Step #6 - Add the remainder of the nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, and the vanilla extract.

Step #7 - Spoon mixture all over the yams and let simmer for 15 minutes until the yams have absorbed all the syrup.

Step #8 - Remove from heat until ready to serve.

Ali Guindo is one of the weavers who weave cotton to make into mudcloth clothing and accessories. He weaves the fabric, and then it is taken to a painter, such as Mme. Kono (below), who paints the designs onto the fabric. Ali Guindo is from the Dogon ethnic group and works in a little village called Somo, in the Dogon area of Mali, West Africa. Because he lives in such a remote area (where many foreign buyers don’t venture to go), finding him to make some of the mudcloth fabric was a great way for him to increase his business. It also insures that we get the highest quality of fabric. See some Mudcloth African Wall Décor.

Friday’s Proverb

“The wealth of the greedy
ultimately goes to the community”.

Americanized Version:
If there are two brothers in a home,
both must work to feed the family.”

Which is the very meaning of this Brass- Two Headed Crocodile

A popular symbol in Africa,
where other people groups use it to
symbolize the futility of greed