African Symbols By Heike Owusu
African Symbols By Heike Owusu
Softcover
ISBN 9781402746222
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Company Inc 2000
Used - Very Good+. This book is in very good condition. The wraps have some slight/limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far.
From masks to the symbolic script of the Ashanti, symbols play an important role in all aspects of African life. These sacred items come in a breathtaking array of styles, and here, divided into six areas of cultural similarity, are some of the most beautiful, along with explanations of their meanings.
Africa’s rich and diverse artistic traditions vividly express a spiritual view of the world. Here are line drawings of more than 300 fascinating symbols of their beliefs, with an examination of their cultural meaning: magnificent sculptures and masks from Western and Central Africa; stylized ornaments from North Africa and the Sahel zone; beautiful clothing, jewelry, and hairpieces of nomadic East Africa; and intriguing objects from South Africa.
Demons, for most Africans, are responsible for justice and retribution: the superb demon mask shown depicts Kponingo, who belongs to the mythical world of the Senufo in the Ivory Coast. A calabash with the beak of a hornbill, adorned with cowrie shells and made by medicine men, is a typical instrument of witchcraft.
Other fascinating symbols include sculptures, cave paintings, status symbols, and art for everyday use.
About the Author and Illustrator
Early in her life, Heike Owusu had already acquired a spiritual view of the world. In her family and her social surroundings she encountered a lack of understanding for her spiritual interests. When a serious illness threatened her life, she conquered it with the help of endogenous training and a method of self healing that she developed. Her great interest in the knowledge and mythology of the "natural peoples" was only strengthened through the marriage with her Ghanaian husband. All of this released her artistic potential and thus today she relates her knowledge in various ways : through comic pictures, illustrations and literary work.
