Most countries especially the soccer loving countries every four years look forward to the FIFA World Cup, and like the World Cup all countries of the world look forward every four years to the Olympics. In Africa, every two years every country within the continent looks forward to the Nation Cup. The excitement and anxiety which characterises these events are so overwhelming and unparalled .
The same thing cannot be said for culture. The last huge cultural gathering that had similar characteristics is FESTAC 77, the gains and the cultural awareness which the events created cannot be rivalled, and so it is astonishing why its objectives and ideals are not pursued by leaders of cultural establishment around the continents. Can we have a cultural world cup or an African cultural event, just like our counter parts in the sports world do?
The generation that experienced the Festac77 event is gradually passing away with vague memories of the performances which they try as hard as they can to relive for their children, who do not understand the sudden excitement that lights up in their parents' eyes at the mention of names like the late Mariam Makeba, the Ipi Tombi dancers, Oke Langbodo, to mention but a few aspects of the brilliance that were the epic of the festival.
Our culture is what defines who we are. I do not think anybody would argue or deny that statement, if so, why then do we not use it judiciously? Culture can generate the same atmosphere as sports, if not better, because with culture we learn something new about each other and other people, unlike sports, where we already know whats going to happen. Just like soccer competitions are organized from high schools, so can cultural competitions be organized; talents are discovered and cultivated.
National festivals go nowhere beyound hosting. As soon as closing remarks are said, it's over until next year. Participants leave with no sense of what next to look forward to, and talents desintegrate. How exhilarating and rewarding it would be if the artistes could aspire to be members of the National Troupe with the same zeal as footballers do when screening for the national team.
Having a National Troupe is the best thing that has happened since Festac77, but when the troupe is only performing nationally and not globally its scope is very limited. Imagine National Troupes from all over the world converging and competing for gold, silver and bronze, within standards that have been approved by a cultural replica of FIFA. If such a body exists, more needs to be done to generate awareness of its existence. Our cultural trustees cannot continue to fail us. Let's give our children some of that Festac 77 excitement we experienced, and establish the essence of our rich cultural heritage.
Tunde Phillips.
Send comments to support@artfricana.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
IYARE! Philadelphia's Benin exhibition
IYARE! Splendor and Tension in Benin's Palace TheatreCurrent; through March 1, 2008University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-4000
It's not easy to come up with a new approach for an exhibition featuring Benin's famous bronzes and ivories. Their beauty is always compelling, but they've been the subject of many shows, most recently "Benin Kings and Rituals," a blockbuster that began in Vienna and toured Paris, Berlin and Chicago just last year. "Iyare!"--which means "Go and return safely"--is more modest in scope, but it takes objects from the royal court and looks at them through a dramatic lens. If the palace is a stage (particularly at festival times),then the players--the Oba, his chiefs, courtiers, and visitors--are spotlit, shrines and buildings no longer religious or domestic structures, but backdrops for dramatic episodes. Certainly the splendid festival dress at court differs from daily wear, and activities are strategically placed so that ancestors and gods are physically nearby to lend support. Through 91 objects, particular dramas of the past--Idia's scheming to get her son Esigie on the throne in the 16th century, or Oba Ohen pretending his paralysis was the result of his close identification with the sea god Olokun and his mudfish legs--are highlighted in wall texts and labels. A beautiful bronze head of Idia, ivory tusks and an armlet bearing Ohen's image, and a variety of hip pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and sculptures remind viewers that old stories and contemporary ones intertwine daily at the palace. Large photographs and videos also underscore the splendor of today's palace.
The tensions that make chiefs vie to compete with one another to spend on dress, regalia, and other accessories to catch the public and the Oba's eye, and make themselves impressive, respected figures is current, yet has a long history. Jealousies and rivalry are the meat of any court, and Benin is no exception.
The exhibition includes objects from royal ancestral altars, Queen mother altars, and altars dedicated to Osun, god of medicine. Two 16th century bronze trophy heads show how medicine helped vanquish Benin's enemies, who were then permanently cast in metal to remind other foes what would happen to them. Both heads are sensitively modeled and among the finest in the world. Most pieces belong to the Penn Museum, but some are from the Brooklyn Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian.
A section called "Playing the Provinces" shows Benin's impact on the Ishan, the Itsekiri, and Yoruba neighbors at Owo and Ijebu. Artists from these peoples adopted elements of Benin dress, such as ceremonial swords or pendants, and created altar sculpture that also mirrored those at the Oba's palace. These were tributes, but also were meant to absorb some of the power of the very impressive Edo court.
The last segment of the exhibition, "Revivals," considers what happened to Benin art after 1897. A map shows how the British looting of the city after its invasion spread the bronzes, ivories, and other art throughout Europe and America, the bulk of it going to Britain and Germany. That didn't mean art ceased in Benin; several contemporary castings and carvings show that old dramas--particularly those relating to Queen Mother Idia--continue to inspire new artists and buyers. Idia's resurgence as a famous figure occurred in 1977 when she graced FESTAC, the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, and a poster of the event showing her impassive ivory face stares at viewers from the wall. She keeps cropping up--on Nigerian stamps, on Chinese lamps, on African American paintings--as do other iconic figures, such as the sea god Olokun. Their endurance and spread around the world speak eloquently to the ways art has made the kingdom one of Africa's most famous faces.
A huge website at http://www.iyare.net/ promotes the culture further, and an exhibition catalogue of 234 pages is due to be published February 2009.
It's not easy to come up with a new approach for an exhibition featuring Benin's famous bronzes and ivories. Their beauty is always compelling, but they've been the subject of many shows, most recently "Benin Kings and Rituals," a blockbuster that began in Vienna and toured Paris, Berlin and Chicago just last year. "Iyare!"--which means "Go and return safely"--is more modest in scope, but it takes objects from the royal court and looks at them through a dramatic lens. If the palace is a stage (particularly at festival times),then the players--the Oba, his chiefs, courtiers, and visitors--are spotlit, shrines and buildings no longer religious or domestic structures, but backdrops for dramatic episodes. Certainly the splendid festival dress at court differs from daily wear, and activities are strategically placed so that ancestors and gods are physically nearby to lend support. Through 91 objects, particular dramas of the past--Idia's scheming to get her son Esigie on the throne in the 16th century, or Oba Ohen pretending his paralysis was the result of his close identification with the sea god Olokun and his mudfish legs--are highlighted in wall texts and labels. A beautiful bronze head of Idia, ivory tusks and an armlet bearing Ohen's image, and a variety of hip pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and sculptures remind viewers that old stories and contemporary ones intertwine daily at the palace. Large photographs and videos also underscore the splendor of today's palace.
The tensions that make chiefs vie to compete with one another to spend on dress, regalia, and other accessories to catch the public and the Oba's eye, and make themselves impressive, respected figures is current, yet has a long history. Jealousies and rivalry are the meat of any court, and Benin is no exception.
The exhibition includes objects from royal ancestral altars, Queen mother altars, and altars dedicated to Osun, god of medicine. Two 16th century bronze trophy heads show how medicine helped vanquish Benin's enemies, who were then permanently cast in metal to remind other foes what would happen to them. Both heads are sensitively modeled and among the finest in the world. Most pieces belong to the Penn Museum, but some are from the Brooklyn Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian.
A section called "Playing the Provinces" shows Benin's impact on the Ishan, the Itsekiri, and Yoruba neighbors at Owo and Ijebu. Artists from these peoples adopted elements of Benin dress, such as ceremonial swords or pendants, and created altar sculpture that also mirrored those at the Oba's palace. These were tributes, but also were meant to absorb some of the power of the very impressive Edo court.
The last segment of the exhibition, "Revivals," considers what happened to Benin art after 1897. A map shows how the British looting of the city after its invasion spread the bronzes, ivories, and other art throughout Europe and America, the bulk of it going to Britain and Germany. That didn't mean art ceased in Benin; several contemporary castings and carvings show that old dramas--particularly those relating to Queen Mother Idia--continue to inspire new artists and buyers. Idia's resurgence as a famous figure occurred in 1977 when she graced FESTAC, the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, and a poster of the event showing her impassive ivory face stares at viewers from the wall. She keeps cropping up--on Nigerian stamps, on Chinese lamps, on African American paintings--as do other iconic figures, such as the sea god Olokun. Their endurance and spread around the world speak eloquently to the ways art has made the kingdom one of Africa's most famous faces.
A huge website at http://www.iyare.net/ promotes the culture further, and an exhibition catalogue of 234 pages is due to be published February 2009.
See a clip from a Voice of America broadcast about IYARE! Click here to go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hs1NfdhZfU
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