As the African- American people who were enslaved gained literacy and began to write about their experiences, they incorporated figures from oral tradition into their written creations. These stories spread and became folklore in America; however, these also existed in Africa as well. These tales were also important in Africa as well because when most were not able to perfectly remember their culture, these stories helped represent African cultures and traditions. , "The Jackal and the Leopard," featured in Black folktales by Julius Lester underscores the importance of honesty, fairness, wisdom, and courage as qualities that are essential for creating stable communities and governments everywhere in the world. The animals featured in this story were once found throughout most of Africa.
Aspen leaves sway while the wind whistles, blowing and towering high above almost all the other trees. Dark green evergreen and spruce fill the trails and send a potent scent of pine in the air. A small creek with minimal water is trickles ever so slowly and sounding almost like rain drops. Just then a mama duck and her ducklings use the round rocks in the creek as stepping stones, finally reaching the other side. Turning a sharp corner the imposing St.Vrain River cannot be missed, sounding nothing like the creek.
Terence Coard Professor Schwartz LITR 201 February 23, 2013 Terence Coard Professor Schwartz LITR201 February 23, 2013 African Folk Tales When you think about Folktales, it takes you back to (what we would call) the beginning of people lives. Folk tales tells of people’s hopes and dreams, as well as their fears and defeat. African folktales originated Before we discuss African folk tales, and why they chose to use animals as protagonist, let’s take the time to venture into the folk tales origin. Folktales are stories passed down from generation to generation. These stories are told mainly through storytelling, but can also be told through dance, proverbs, jokes, and music.
Masks Of Africa Since the earliest times masks have played an important role in the culture of Africa. Masks have varied in appearance and function. Many masks are associated with religious ceremonies, myth, dance, rituals or are concerned with spirits of the dead, rites, or even curing sickness. The mask has been used by the Africans mainly to solve major human and social problems. When a man wears a mask his identity is hidden and the expression on the mask projects a new identity.
Many of Africa’s inhabitants are of indigenous origin, which contributes to the scientific notation that Africa was the birthplace of all human species. People across the continent are remarkably diverse in just about any measure: language, religion, politics, economics, and “lifestyle” backgrounds. For this reason, it is imperative to follow the anthropological guiding principles in gaining the proper understanding of African cultures. In an ethnological study, two indigenous cultures of Zaire’s Ituri forest are examined. The symbolic and structural aspects of the division between the Lese and Efe, along with relations of inequality are discussed by Grinker--from the perspective of the Lese.
African Dance is important to Africa to show many cultural differences in musical and movement styles. These dances must be viewed in close connection with African music, as many African languages have no word to define music. They mostly dance in tribes or worshiping gods. These dances teach social patterns and values and help people work, mature, praise or criticize members of the community while celebrating festivals and funerals, competing, reciting history, proverbs and poetry, and to encounter gods. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_dance ) Traditional African Dance mostly used the African voice instead of the more current drums and other instruments.
We will also touch on the subject of how traditional African art and artifacts can easily loose their uniqueness when taken out of context. On a visit to the 2013 Design Indaba, my partner and I conducted various interviews with local designers such as Stuart Douglas and Willard Musarurwa to hear some of their personal feelings on African design and whether or not they view their own work as Avant Garde. Apart from selecting products from the indaba we looked at work from the likes of Georg van Gass of Goet Design, Leon van Rooyan of Van de Vlam’s and also a new range of satirical pot plants by the talented Magda van der Vloed. Through reflecting on modern examples, we aim to explore local designs which represent the spirit of the Avant Garde, and focus on exactly how they achieve this by remaining identifiably African. In order to do this one needs to understand the history behind the Avant Garde and how this trend setting style came about.
Some of the most complex rituals that have been studied by scholars are found in Nigerian cultures such as those of the Yoruba and Edo peoples, that bear some resemblances to the Western notion of theatre. [4] Since every mask has a specific spiritual meaning, most traditions comprise several different traditional masks. The traditional religion of the Dogon people of Mali, for example, comprises three main cults (the Awa or cult of the dead, the Bini or cult of the communication with the spirits, and the Lebe or cult of nature); each of these has its pantheon of spirits, corresponding to 78 different types of masks overall. It is often the case that the artistic quality and complexity of a mask reflects the relative importance of the portrayed spirit in the systems of beliefs of a particular people; for example, simpler masks such as the kple kple of the Baoulé people of Côte d'Ivoire (essentially a circle with minimal eyes, mouth and horns) are associated to minor spirits. [5] Subject and style[edit] African masks are usually shaped after a human face or some animal's muzzle, albeit rendered
Iwan Smith African Lit. & Comp. April 3, 2013 The Wonders of African Myths There are many stories and myths in the African culture that are used for entertainment, but there’s a much deeper purpose in all of the stories. These stories feature Tricksters, Heroes, Animals, Nature symbols, Sages, Mothers, and Villains most of the time. Each myth has its own purpose whether it’s a moral, tradition, or a story of creation.
The jungle is in opposition to London, the center of civilization at that time, which by Freud would be described as the superego. One is able to draw a parallel between the settings and the two protagonists, Marlow and Kurtz. Marlow begins his journey into Africa as a representative of the superego. He is searching for adventure and to fill in all the blank spaces on his favorite maps: “When I was a chap I had a passion for maps”