Senufo group and the secret society: Poro

The Senufo live in Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. “Senufo” means “ the ones who speak Sene” . Senufo people were in the past farmers cultivating rice, corn,yams,etc.Their population is estimated to be around 600 000.
The Senoufo have a very interesting political system. It is a matrilineage society. They are four societies which educate and governs the Senufo: Poro, Sandogo, Wambele and Tyepka.We will mainly speak about the Poro society today.
The Poro society is reserved for men ( but it is good to know that apparently young girls and postmenopausal women are permitted to join) and it is a secret society. The main purpose of the Poro society is to guarantee a good relationship between the living world and the ancestors. They are responsible for the religious traditions, ceremonies and also for maintaining the order between the people.
When men are part of the Poro society, they have to go through 3 different phases of 7 years each. It generally starts when the boy are 7 years old and end when they are 28 years old. During the induction, the young men converse with each other using a secret language known only to other Poro members .
It is important to know that in the Senufo culture, when a man is born, it is only an animal and the Poro will help them to change their status.
The different phases can be broken down to:
- The “Kouord”: children are given special tasks and also learn special symbolic words.
- The “dain”: it teaches teenagers how to live in community .During this period, the teenagers are asked to make personal sacrifices. They are taught how to participate in rituals, how to prepare the ritual clothes,etc.
- The “Tcholo”: it helps in understanding the meaning of life. The elders will reveal some secrets that young men were not able to understand until this period. Young men will be taught about philosophy, social behaviours and a professional skill.
- The “Kaffono”: this gives the supreme knowledge and the final sacrament.
Once initiate, the men need to give an annual contribution. In exchange, they will receive support from the elders, they are also protected by the masters and after their death, their funerals are organized by the Poro members.
All the initiatory ceremonies are happening in a sacred wood outside of the villages. This place is considered as the propriety of Katyéléo ( The Senufo goddess).
.The Senufo produce a rich variety of sculptures, mainly associated with the poro society. The sculptors and metalsmiths, endogamous groups responsible for making the cult objects live on their own in a separate part of the village.
You can find Senoufo statues and masks if you go to : http://www.myafrikart.com

Guro tribe and Guro traditional masks

The Guro tribe has an estimated population of 200 000. They live in the west of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). They are surrounded by the Baoule ( on the east), the Bete (on the west) and the Malinke (on the north). They are part of the Mande group.They live near on the shores of the Banama ( one of the rive of Cote d’Ivoire). Their territory is made of savannas and dense forest. It helped them a lot to resist the horsemen conqueror from the north and also it protected them from military and political conflict until 1906. Between 1906 and 1912, the Guro tribe was forced to fled into the bush and abandoned their traditional villages to resist the French colonization.
It is said that the Guro people contrary to other tribes do not have a chief. They are governed and regulated by a concil of elders and each main family of the village has a representation on the council.
The daily life of the Guro is dominated by secret societies and by a belief in protective spirits called “Zuzu”.
The Guru are well known for their artistic sense. While carving their masks, the Guru often combine the human and animal forms. In addition, the masks are normally almond shaped eyes rounded forehead,
You can see below a picture of a Guro mask:

You can learn more about this mask and purchase other authentic masks if you visit:
http://www.myafrikart.comhttp://stores.ebay.ie/My-AfrikArt

Tribute to Senegalese tirailleurs ( Skirmisher - sharpshooter)

Since the XVII century, French used African people to fight for them.
However it is in 1857 that the black troops have been officially created and named “ Senegalese tirailleurs”. “Tirailleur” means sharpshooter in French. It is a term used to designate the troops trained to skirmish ahead of the columns. These troops are called “Senegalese tirailleurs” but you have to know that they were not only formed of Senegalese people. All together they gather 17 African nationalities such as soldiers from Sudan, Guinea, Tchad, Algeria,etc.
These troops not only help France in the various colonial campaigns but also during World War I and World War II. The Tirailleurs always fought with distinction and incurred heavy losses.
It happens that one of the mosque of Paris was constructed after World War I as a sign of gratefulness from France to the Muslims soldiers. In addition, some famous political leaders also recognized these brave troops in speeches. For instance, Marechal Foch said :
«J'ai admiré leur merveilleux courage, leur indomptable ténacité, leur élan fougueux. .. J'ai apprécié leur profonde loyauté et leur absolu dévouement».”
which means
« I admired their guts and bravery,indomitable single-mindedness, spirited momentum, I appreciated their loyalty and their full devotion.”
Most of the Tirailleur troops have been disbanded during the independence of African countries between 1956 and 1962. These former soldiers have always been discriminated despite their loyalty compare to the French soldiers. It is only in 2006, after 60 years that Jacques Chirac finally decided to increase the pensions of former colonial soldiers.
I advise you to watch the movie “Indigènes” or “ Days of Glory” ( English title) directed by French-Algerian Rachid Bouchareb.
Finally, you can purchase an authentic statue of a Senegalese Tirailleur made during the colonial period if you click the link below:

http://stores.ebay.ie/My-AfrikArt

You can also find it if you go to: http://www.myafrikart.com

African art ( part 1)

African art exists since prehistoric times. The discovery of African art (by European people) started in the XV century when the Portuguese navigators travelled into Africa. The navigators wanted to convert African people to Christianity and at this time, they considered African art as fetish. Therefore a lot of African art has disappeared during this period.
Then, during the colonialism period, as the European colonizer considered African population as being a primitive population, therefore they did not show any interest for African art.
It is only in the XX century that African art is really started to be appreciated from European population. For instance, in 1905, Maurice de Vlamnick ( a French painter) bought a pair of statues in a bar and then, Picasso, Matisse and other famous painters started to collect African art. It greatly impacted some of their masterpieces.
It is also important to mention that in many occasion art production is related to ritual or tribal ceremonies.For instance a mask carver creating a traditional mask can be considered as an artist but the mask is not created for decorative purpose. It is created for a ceremony or a ritual. In Africa, most of the time, the art created is not owned by the artist but it is the expression of an ethnic group, people,divinity using the craftman skills. African art reflects the history, philosophy, religion,myths, belief, culture of the vast continent.
You can discover some great and unique African art by visiting: http://www.myafrikart.com

African masks and the mask carvers

In a previous post, I quickly talked about the mask carvers:
Carving a mask is a very sophisticated and complicated art. In many part of Africa, the apprentice will have to work between 3 to 7 years with the master carver in order to fully learn how to create a mask. This art is actually very often transferred from father through son through several generations.
As mentioned previously, this art is very often transferred from father through son. You have to know that mask carvers are exclusively male. I recently learnt that the carving of a ritual mask is normally done in seclusion and his preceded by a long prepration that includes fasting,abstention from sexual activity,and other purification rites.
The mask carvers is a very respected artisan. They often make their own tools. The mask created by the mask carvers are not owned by them, neither they are owned by the wearer. They are owned by the community or secret society and they are kept in a special place.
The protection of the masks is not the responsability of the mask carver. This responsability of great importance and honor is often given to a women. She is the only one allowed to see them when they are not in use.
You can see and purchase traditional African masks from the Dan ethnic tribe for instance if you go to:
http://www.myafrikart.com