SANKOFA - CHILDREN OF DIASPORA
Lockhart
An African Art Forum 275 views
SANKOFA - CHILDREN OF DIASPORA
Submitted on 2006-05-03 01:57:33 (modified 2006-05-28 15:18:23)
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ARTISTS - 2002 in GHANA
PRINTING ADINKRA STAMPS ON STRIPS OF CLOTH - KUMASI GHANA
In our first article I said that I was going to explain how to use the
"African Art Database". I won't do that yet. We need to know why such a
project is necessary in the first place. There is information to be
shared on both sides of the Atlantic. In Diaspora we have seen African
Images dating back several 100 years. Most people in Diaspora don't
know what the images are used for, but we know where they are and what
the "originals" look like. That's right, some places outside Africa
specialize in replicating original works of art. If an image is
requested by another museum a copy of the original item can be made and
sold to them. Some museums at home, in Africa, have ended up with
copies thinking they were buying originals.
In Diaspora we see pieces of an image. We don't know what the completed
image looks like. At home in Africa there are many clues.
If we live in Africa or in Diaspora it is imperative that we reach back
to the past and bring something forward so that we don't become like a
tuberous root yam or potato plant with the best part of us being under
ground. Talk is cheep. We must make sure our information about the past
is correct then act on it. Our culture protects shapes and guides us.
We are what we practice and become whatever we believe.
The picture above was taken in Kumasi Ghana during the summer of 2002
during a conference for artists. The Ghana chapter of the National
Conference of Artist was the host for African artists from the
Caribbean, United States and Ethiopia. For many artists this was their
first trip home to Africa.
This material is brought to you by GHANA HOME PAGE
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/blogs/blog.php?blog=140
and AFRICAN WOODCARVING - @YAHOO!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/africanwoodcarving/
It has been said that - "If you dig yo roots, you dig yosef mo better".
© CLC 1962
[Claude Lockhart Clark May 21, 1992]
Until Next Time - Do and Learn as much as you can
Claude L. Clark