Customer Reviews

African Art [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This excellent BBC documentary made by the British African Aminatta Forne has the added bonus of the vocal brilliance of Mali singer Ali Farka Toure. Which is not surprising because many of the actual artists interviewed come from the localities near the Songhai Kingdon of Mali. However the focus of the documentary is on pre Islamic and pre Christian artifacts made for ritualistic purposes in animistic religious ceremonies. The documentary attempts to cover a lot of ground both by discussing the use of the very word "art" to describe objects in cultures in which the term does not exist. As well as the absence of the maxim "art for art sake" in which many western artist produce art for the sole purpose of self expression. Thus suggesting that in Africa there is only "functional art" rather than decorative art. This we are informed is due to the fact that West African art adheres to rigid artistic traditions that alter only in their reflection of what historically has changed not in the manner in which they are made. If you believe that Africans never produce decorative art for themselves and only for the tourist industry then this will sit well with you.

There are also a number of interviews with African-American and British anthropologists and ethnographers regarding the legacy of colonial interpretations by western artists like Picasso. The documentary discuses the 19th Century emphasis on seeking the "noble savage" and the so called unchanging primitivism inherent in African artifacts. This is said to have created a barrier to westerners seeing African art how Africans see it and ultimately why the object was made in the first place. This again could be considered a contentious and presumptuous comment but it is also obvious that for many centuries African art has been considered inferior to western art and this has been enormously damaging to African culture as whole. Not enough actual art is shown from other countries in Africa , no women artists are interviewed and there are no close ups of the masks used in ceremonial dances. However an animist observent is shown at his shrine making an offering and the sound and visual quality of the film are superb and the people interviewed obviously passionate about art in general. This is a good introduction for people already fascinated by African art but is too intellectual for children.