Art and Life in Africa Project

Christopher Roy bibliography Books and Articles on African art
The Following have no photos and load quickly:
The Art of Burkina Faso by Christopher D. Roy
Signs and Symbols in African Art by Christopher D. Roy
Mossi Political Art: Figures for the Ruling Elite by Christopher D. Roy
Mossi Mask Styles as Documents of Mossi History by Christopher D. Roy
Do in Leaves and Wood Among the Bobo and the Bwa by Christopher D. Roy
The following have photos and load slowly:
Mossi Chief's Figures PDF
Mossi Dolls PDF
Mossi Weaving PDF
Mossi Zazaido PDF
The Spread of Mask Styles in the Valley of the Black Volta River PDF

The historiography of "Art and Life in Africa": Over the years a number of people have asked me about the development of the idea of art and life in Africa. Of course I had read such important books as "Art and Life in America" and "Art and Life in New Guinea." I was also influenced by Arnold van Gennep's "Les Rites de Passage" which focuses on art in the cycle of life. The Art and Life in Africa project began in 1980 when I received a large grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to lecture on African art across the state of Iowa. I lectured in eighty cities, towns and villages on the theme of African art as it was used by Africans to mark important transitions in their lives. In 1984 I developed a small exhibition at the Muscatine Art Center titled "Art for Life's Sake" that was organized on the theme of this same lecture series. Also in 1984 (with a second edition in 1991) I published two catalogues of the Stanley collection titled "Art and Life in Africa: Selections from the Stanley Collection." Finally, in 1997 I completed (with Linda McIntyre) a large CD-ROM project funded by FIPSE and the NEH titled "Art and Life in Africa." In all of these publications I have organized the work on the ideas of art and birth, art and everyday endeavor, art and the spirit world, art and education, art and leadership, art and the ancestors, art and death. Three years later, in 1987, Roy Sieber published "African Art in the Cycle of Life." The following is the text for "Art for Life's Sake", published in 1984.
Art for Life's Sake 1984

New photos of masks in Boni, 2007

Photos of leaf masks 1983-2007

Photos of Songhai village of Sal Mossi 1985

Tauxier, Louis. Le Noir du Yatenga. Paris, Larose: 1917
Louis Tauxier's Le Noir du Yatenga is one of the best colonial-period ethnographies ever written. It was published in 1917 based on research Tauxier carried out as a colonial anthropologist from 1912-13 in West Africa. It is detailed, thorough, clearly written, fairly objective (for the period) and still helpful and informative for understanding this very important West African people. In addition, it is one of the rarest books on African peoples ever published. There are very few copies anywhere in North America, and as far as I know, none at all in Burkina Faso.

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The Changing Face of Burkina Faso, 1970-2008 Photographs of Burkina from 1970 to 2008 show how much has changed and how much has remained the same, and how wide is the gap between "haves and have nots." Rural poverty and cultural creativity to urban prosperity and an elegant fashion show.

African Pottery Forming and Firing
African pottery forming and firing techniques, images, text and video.

Village of Boni/Village de Boni, Burkina Faso The village of Boni is one of the most interesting places to visit in West Africa. The people are very creative and hospitable, and if you visit from February to May you may be able to see the spectacular plank and animal masks perform in traditional village celebrations. These are not put on for the benefit of tourists, but tourists are very welcome to attend. The village is very easy to reach on the main highway between Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.

Search the database of the Stanley Collection of African Art Photographs, catalogue entries and other data on over 700 works of art from West, Central, and East Africa.

Map of Southern Nigeria A good highway map of the southern half of Nigeria

Larger map of Nigeria A good highway map of most of Nigeria. This is a .PNG file. It is smaller and loads faster than a .JPG

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Techiman: City of Traditional Healers

West African Museums Program (WAMP)

Yourba Twins: Ere Ibeji from the Collection of J. Richard Simon

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