Importance of Integration of Cultures

This week our task was to read two essays; Mami Wata Shrines: exotica and the Construction of Self by Henry Drewal and Imaging Otherness in Ivory: African Portrayals of the Portugese by Suzanne Blier.  While reading these essays I felt overwhelmed because of the content that the essays included, but after the discussion in class that we had on Thursday I feel more confident in the material that I had read and the meaning behind them.

The Imaging Otherness in Ivory essay explains the process of the definition of culture in a way.  We need other cultures to influence our own to continually develop our own culture.  The essay mainly focuses on the Kongo, Benin, and the Sapi peoples.  The explanation of their art and its purpose helps us to wrap our head around the idea of how we are influenced by their art and how we as artists use some of the same techniques, ideas, and thought process to make our own art.  In the Mami Wata essay Drewal talks about how Mami wata devotees are concerned with alien things because of their water spirit is perceived to be “foreign”.  Without the influence of other cultures our art would seem less intriguing.  The importance of “foreign” peoples or anyone else’s ideas besides our own for that matter influence in our own cultures helps us to create more meaningful and interesting pieces of work.  An example of this kind of integration of cultures and ideas is Pablo Picasso adopting the African visual techniques in his own works.  Picasso was fascinated by the simplicity of the African art he was exposed to in the Paris museums because of the expansion of the French empire into Africa.  His first piece of cubist work, Les Demoiselles, was influenced by African art.  Without the integration and inspiration of these cultures the new technique of “cubism” wouldn’t have been applied.

As some may see it; the Europeans coming into Africa to take over and take the peoples back as slaves may be a bad thing.  Although, yes I must admit I think this sounds like a horrible thing to do, but we must look on the positive side and see all of the beautiful things that have come out these horrible happenings.  If the Europeans wouldn’t have invaded African and taken their belongings who knows how long it would have taken for other peoples to discover their pieces of work and become inspired to create our own pieces of work.

Another important aspect to think about with cultures is how we actually “see” this art.  When we go to a museum and see a piece of work we might think, “This is an interesting piece of work.”  However, do we fully understand the meaning and thoughts that were put into the work by the artist unless we take the time to learn about the artist and their piece of work?  I’m just as guilty of this as everyone else is, when looking through a museum I look for the things that catch my eye first, look at it, think about it for a few seconds, try to figure out the meaning behind it, then walk away.  As Drewal stated in Mami Wata, “Museums may be windows on other worlds, but they are also mirrors reflecting their creators… they influence what we see, how we see, and therefore, what we understand.”  We need to take the time to understand the background that comes from the art and know that there is a meaning behind each piece of work.

One thing I took from reading these essays and writing my blog this week is understand that everything and everyone we come into contact with has an impact on who we are as people and what we make as artists.  Having these interactions and integrations with different peoples helps us to further develop or knowledge and outlook on life.

Accepting Cultures

Black in Latin America clarified many things for me this week.  Henry Louis Gates’ documentary on African influence and slavery in Haiti and the Dominican Republic made me have a deeper understanding and background history on African’s religions, thoughts, and how they see themselves.

The Dominican Republic was the 1^st place that imported slaves.  Nowadays the people of the Dominican Republic gather every Saturday to sing and dance for the remembrance of their past history.  Ninety percent of the make up of the Dominican Republic are Africans.  Although, many people in the Dominican Republic do not think they are “African” or “Black”.  One of the men that Gates interviewed spoke about how Africans had to learn how to be black.  The way that this particular person learned his heritage or his background on his race and culture was by visiting museums and learned ways from people outside of the Dominican Republic.  This seems very upsetting to me that peoples do not know where they came from or how their cultures live their life.  The fact that they are influenced to be someone else, forced to learn their way of life or how their culture thrives seems completely unethical in my opinion.  It made me question how someone could forget where they came from and how much their cultures have an impact on them.  The DVD brought up a strikingly strong word to help me wrap my head this question; acceptance.

            The Dominicans portray their thoughts or the way they see Africans in a way in which they probably don’t think anything of it, however to the people of the African cultures it is highly offensive.  One example that the DVD talked about was depictions of dolls to represent the African peoples.  The doll focused on features such as dark skin tone, nose, and lips.  Dominicans portray these dolls in way that the Africans don’t want to even consider themselves Africans because the dolls are depicted in an incorrect way.  An article that I read on line stated(link posted below); ”Dominicans are a mix of the Spanish, African slaves, and the Taino Indians, but that Dominicans are Indios and not black.”  Indio peoples think of Spain as their homeland, not Africa.  This makes me question why anyone would want to be associated with peoples that make them (the Africans) be ashamed of where they come from.

            Across the river is the homeland of Haiti; here they accept the Africans and the cultures that come with them.  Haiti was the first independent black nation in the world.  Many peoples of Haiti are Roman Catholics and practice the religion, but they also practice Voudo.  Voudo is a complex belief system that allows the peoples who practice to have strength, courage, organization, and leadership.   Our textbook says, “Voudo is organized around a graphic emblem called a vèvè.” The crossroads where the spiritual and the physical worlds meet and where the spirit arrives when invoked through ritual” (533).   One of the most amazing things about the Voudo religion is how everyone comes together for the deviation, much like any other religion does when they practice.  However, Voudo seems like a much more complex process involving chanting, sacrificing of animals, and the belief that their ancestors possess their bodies to fix problems in their lives while they are possessed.

            Even though the Dominican Republicans, the Haitians, and the Africans seem like they don’t fit, they all have key factors that tie all of these together; religion, culture, and influences.

http://sdonline.org/48/the-stigma-of-blackness-anti-haitianism-in-the-dominican-republic/

Connecting Cultures

 Egungun masquerade garment

African Quilt

Is there any relation?

One question that came to mind during our lecture on the Egungun Masquerades this week was if there was a connection between the Egungun dance garment that the Yoruba peoples dance and quilting.  Looking at the fabrics, I made the visible connection because of the different patterns and colors, which reminded me of quilts that I’ve seen in my family.   As I was researching more on the Internet and in my textbook to see if there was any connection at all between these two historically, I didn’t find much information.  However, I did find some similarities and differences that have to do with these beautifully put together pieces.

The Yoruba peoples create the Egungun for performances that include costumes, dance, music, poetry and interaction between the dancers and the crowd.  The Egungun helps the Yoruba peoples communicate with the spirit world, while they entertain the living.  Our textbook tells us that the Egungun first appeared among the Oyo Yoruba and may have been developed in response to ancestral celebrations of the Nupe peoples (252).  The Yoruba peoples ancestors are believed to help the living community if they are shown honor through the Egungun.  Our textbook also mentions the The Egungun, like the ancestors they are associated with, are identified with specific families.  They play a regulating role in the family and serve as a link between the living and the dead (252).  The Egungun dancers are possessed with the spirits of their ancestors.

African quilting doesn’t have much documentation on it, however it has been traced back to the Yoruba peoples.  Quilts were made for trading purposes.  The characteristics that were sometimes incorporated in quilting were weaving, large shapes and colors, asymmetry, improvisation, patterning, applique and record keeping, religious symbols, and protective charms.

Some of the similarities that I came up with, although there isn’t much connection between the two besides their bright colors and patterns that are applied are; family influence and trading purposes.  In the American culture those who make quilts (those who make them in my family anyways) make them to help their family members remember them.  They can achieve this by using cloth with sentimental value to the quilts or by personalizing them.  Not all quilt makers make quilts for the purpose of ancestral remembrances, sometimes they make them for a hobby or to sell them to others much like the African quilters made their quilts for trading purposes.  There are many more differences than there are similarities, however in a way I can see a connection.  The Yoruba peoples dance their Egungun and the focus is mainly on the spiritual possession that their ancestors take control of is one difference.  Another difference is that although they share the influence of the ancestral makeup behind these objects the Egungun is done in a much more powerful way than quilting is done.  Egungun is danced to cover the face and sometimes they even use masks or other costumes to cover themselves, while the quilt is just used to keep warm or to be put on display.

Although these two objects have more differences than similarities the most important thing that they have in common is the visual connection between them.  Both are made in a way to catch peoples attention and make you think about your ancestors and in my opinion, that’s important enough to compare.