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Analytical Essay
Question 1
Identifications of African art involves the characterizing the various arts examples of photography, paintings, literature among others with their origin, the audience they are directed to, the purpose of the art, among other characteristics. It also brings out the influence of the artistic work and the artists of the said work from the time of creation and the future generations, who consume the said art. Identifications allow readers to understand who work was directed to, the significance of work, where art was created, and how and when work was created. Identification also explains why African history is essential, how it should be applied, and the reason why it should be used.
Hassan Hajjaj creates his art on reimagining tradition through photography in the 1990s in Morocco, his birth country. His great passion for the promotion of fashion globally influences many as his works is appreciated in Europe and the United States. His work involves women’s fashion and how sophisticated it can get if given closer consideration. His work, although meant to capture and entertain his audience, it is adopted in different museums in the world as it’s taken as a symbol that creates unity in the interactive cultural and social spaces where diverse cultures are represented from West Africa and around the world. It also signifies the native culture of western countries other than morocco and acts in the preservation and conservation of their traditional culture and customs. His usage of videos and imagery well captures the times he’s creating his art. Thus the embracing of the same by his audience makes it easy for their consumption and application even by the future generations (Gott et al., 42-59).
Malick
Sidibe’s art was created by the use of photography in the 1950s
through to the 1970s in Mali and the whole of West Africa. The portraits he created uniquely captured the postcolonial period events and were very appreciated by the Africans. This led to the documentation of his works as they were viewed as cultural preservation ornaments of this period. Although his work was mainly for entertainment, it was also used for cultural and social development after the colonization of Mali. His photography is henceforth, not only used during his generation but is also preserved for future generations in western Africa but also appreciated by the whole world.
Felecia Abban creates her art on dress politics and framing through photography from the year 1957, where she made Dr. Kwame Nkrumah a commemorative cloth. This cloth acting as a mark of the 1957 independence celebrations makes her art renowned all over Ghana and globally. Her work evolves from freelance photography where she used to capture weddings, birthdays, and other minor events to capturing national events for Ghana’s national magazine. This enables her to capture all historical moments that Ghana accomplishes in the 1900s as provided in figures 7-8 photographs. Her work is henceforth used as a way of recording and preserving the history that is used by future generations. This is enabled by the building of a national museum in Accra, Ghana, where her work is kept for reference. Her influence henceforth is not only appreciated by her generation but also acts as a landmark for other photographers of future generations. This precedes her primary purpose of entertaining her audience to a greater one of the preservation of history (Bowles, 48-57).
Traditional silence was art used by Thomas Carlyle, a poet in 1963, where he used proverbs. He believed that silence could be used to communicate the same way speech does. He thought that all cultures of the world should embrace silence as it is also a communication tool. Silence has various characteristics as it can be used as a second language, as a negotiating tool, in speaking in some cultures, among other usages. It has been adopted worldwide as there is the “moment of silence” usage in diverse sorrowful occasions.
Narratives are forms of art that are used for either entertainment, convey information, or to preserve certain practices and customs. They include poems, short stories, proverbs that are used to narrate an occurrence of an event. They are mostly used to advise, encourage, or even chastise specific persons with the relation of some certain characteristics that were practiced by earlier generations. Many of them hold the profound significance of customs practicable by particular communities.
Ijeoma Umebinyuo, in her book “questions for Ada,” creates her art by the use of poetry. She writes her diverse poems that address both men and women. In the “sins of the father” poem, she addresses specific issues that are related to fatherhood, try’s to show the importance of fathers accepting their responsibility, and taking care of the children their father not leaving them as bustards.
In the poems “questions for Ada and first-generation,” she addresses women and their responsibilities, especially when they are married. She brings out the behavioral characteristics that are portrayed by the traditional women in the 1900s, of which she feels should be taught to the modern society women. Her main aim, although being to entertain her audience, she symbolically passes certain practices that she feels are of significance to her audience. These not only act as a way of preservation and conservation of traditional culture and practices but also serve as a tool of reference for future generations (Umebinyuo, 52-142).
QUESTION 2
Poetry represents the literary creation, where the poet expresses his/her feelings and ideas through the use of symbolism and rhythm. This is done to bring out certain prevalent aspects of a given society or group of persons. African poetry emanates from ancient times and the practice of traditions all over Africa. It differs from different countries due to the different language groups and practices carried out in various countries. Another factor that creates the variance of the literary creations is the different colonies that were propagated in Africa. These resulted in the creation of poetry inclined to beliefs of colonizers, although having some aspect of natives of a specific country. Poetry henceforth, although created to entertain the society, its main aim is to communicate certain elements of great importance to the community.
The study of Ijeoma Umebinyuo’s “Secrets” poem under the questions for Ada brings out the empathy of a mother to daughter figures where she feels a marriage should not be ignored as it forms the basis of the society. She tries to explain that daughters need to understand the continuity of life, which is to be married and to bear children who will also continue the lineage. She brings out the aspect of socialism, a significant issue that needs to be passed to future generations. She feels that men and women need each other for completion of the societal expectation, and of which the contrast breaks the norms therein.
Ijeoma invokes the traditional customs of the traditional communities and tries to reckon with the fact that every woman should behave in a specified way as provided by the traditions. This henceforth brings out the aspect that she is not just a writer but symbolically wants the customs practiced to be carried on to the future generations after her demise. Nevertheless, her care and appreciation of womanhood and the creation of life generally are well brought out. She encourages women to bear children and enjoy the fruits of their womb of which is the best experience one could ever have as a woman. She finds happiness in the continuity of life and the flourishing of generations. Her religious agility and the belief in a supernatural being that makes things happen, even the impossible, is also evident.
Ijeoma, on the “Ancestors” poem still on questions for Ada, evaluates the behaviors of women in the ancient days and relates the same with the present women. She brings out the behaviors of traditional women back then, and their dignified life in comparison to the current women. This was manifested from the attire they wore, which involves the covering of their hair. They also respected others, especially their husbands, unlike the current women who do not embrace these traits. Her message nevertheless dwells on passing on the right morals from ancient times to the present times.
Nevertheless, she also advocates the ethical behaviors the women portrayed in working and conducting business on the stipulated days without complaining. This points out that they were hardworking, and thus the poet symbolizes that laziness was not entertained. She also advocates for wife submission to their husbands and without complaining notwithstanding, the marriage setting one portrays.
In conclusion, Ijeoma makes us understand the aspect of life as women traditionally practiced it. The poems portray how women behaved or, instead, how the traditional society expected them to act. The poems elaborate on the duties of women and the systematic ways on which they were to be performed. The submission aspect is brought out as the women were meant to respect their husbands in all circumstances. This is inclusive of the times of betrothal, bearing of children, the performance of duties, and also their general relation with men. The poems portray the general ways of life that were led by any society (Silkin, 422). The poems also bring out the appreciation and continuation of life. The women were entitled to training their daughters on the importance of getting married and bearing children.
Question 3
Art can be defined as the various activities that are created by human beings expressing their ideas, imagination, or even emotions. They may include pictures, paintings, films, poems, live performances, or even literature. It is used for various purposes, depending on its time of creation, which includes entertainment, education, and conservation, among other usages. The art of Felicia Abban and Ijeoma Umebinyuo was meant to capture the occurring events by recording the same through photography and poetry, respectively, in the 1900s. They form the aspect of conservation and preservation of culture usage, although it might have been created to entertain in the 1900s, it is also used in latter days and by future generations.
Some similarities that accrue in their art is that Felicia and Ijeoma aim at entertaining their audience in the 1900s, although using photography and poems, respectively. The current generation well adopts their work since even record it for the usage by future generations. Therefore, the preservation and the conservation of the traditions of which are invoked even after their deaths. They both live a legacy and are honoured of the remarkable work they did in their generation.
However, the contrasting issues are that Felicia Abban creates her art by freelance taking of photographs of weddings, child naming ceremonies and birthdays, and later documenting them. These skills she acquired from her father from the age of 14 as she apprenticed with him. She was into photography from 1956, and her work was marked within the domains of traditional photojournalism. This because of the many popular events she covered over the years. In regards to dress politics, in 1957, she and her husband made commemorative cloth for Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. This created a stepping stone in her career, although her work was meant to entertain her clients; it marked a memorable part of history. This because the portrait was used to mark the 1957 independence celebrations in Ghana.
Her art is meant to illuminate the general society on events that happened from the early 1950s to 2013 when she died (Bowles, 48-57). This led to the creation of a museum in Accra, Ghana, where all here works would be kept and preserved for the usage of future generations.
Ijeoma Umebinyuo, on the other hand, creates her art through poetry. Her creation is done in a family setting, where she evaluates the roles of women and girls through poems. Although she aims at entertaining her audience, her work involves a lot of symbolism as it dwells in various aspects of life. These aspects include religion, where she brings out that the traditional women believed in a supernatural being and prayer and thus tries to pass the same to her audience of the future generations. She also criticizes laziness as she portrays her (women) actors as very hardworking who honored working days and of whom kept their homes well nurtured. She also brings out the respect virtue where she portrays the traditional women to be very respectful to their husbands and thus tries to pass to the same to the future generations who read her work.
Her audience is generally women, although she also touches on issues affecting men too. She addresses the way women should behave and how to relate to their husbands. She brings out the traditions that were practicable in the society. However, although symbolically outlines the same in her poems, she advocates for the same to be taught in modern society. She believes that women are supposed to submit to their husbands in all circumstances and fend for their families (TEDx Talks). Nevertheless, the art she portrays in her creation is meant to preserve and conserve the culture and traditions that were practiced in the ancient days too.
Work Cited
Bowles, Laurian R. “Dress Politics and Framing Self in Ghana: The Studio Photographs of Felicia Abban.” African arts 49.4 (2016): 48-57.
Gott, Suzanne, et al. “African-Print Fashion Now! A Story of Taste, Globalization, and Style.” african arts 50.1 (2017): 42-59.
Silkin, Jon. The life of metrical and free verse in twentieth-century poetry. Springer, 2016.
TEDx Talks. The Culture of Silence by I. Umebinyuo: retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyZsPUnPGj0
Umebinyuo, Ijeoma. “Of Buried Memories and Other Stories.” Black Renaissance 18.1 (2018): 52-142.