Art and Religion in Traditional African Society

Art and Religion in Traditional African Society
Throughout the world, changes in people’s lives are marked by important events, ceremonies and celebrations. Whether they are called confirmation, communion, graduation, birthdays, initiations or funerals, certain amount of rituals that characterized there activities and make them special are integrated. In Africa, these special activities or rituals constitute an important aspect of a rich socio-cultural and religious life of the people, and are expressed through various artistic means.
Every stage of their lives, traditional Africans adhere to certain values, attitudes and thoughts which are products of their past experiences in relation to the environment and forces within and without, with a strong believe that the universe is given life by spirits that inhibit the fields they farm, the cloud that brings rainfall, the rivers from which they gather fishes and the wilderness where they hunt wild animals and build settlements. Given the existence of these spirituals, ways are sought to contact, to communicate and control their powers, thus, they engage in constant and faithful rituals, sacrifices and worship. In most cases, art, whether through performances or tangible objects, becomes the medium and point of contact.
Notable among these manifestations of invisible spirits in tangible forms such as carved wood or stones (sculpture), is the power figure called ‘Nkisi”, from kongo. It embodies a spiritual force that is to be placed in a container and placed on the abdomen to wade away evil. To the Yoruba of Nigeria, the ‘Gelede’ mask, gives identity and personality to the otherwise abstract and intangible spirits of their ancestors. The Ife people of Nigeria made ceremonial busts of their rulers, who were called Oni, to commemorate the reign of their leaders. The Isangui people from Gabon, produced wooden masks used also in ceremonies for a particular village meant to represent the spirits of all the deceased...