Behind the Art: West Africa

West Africa: artistic expressions rooted in the culture

I’ve always been drawn to West Africa, its remote societies - some very secret - for a true sense of the African people. In Ghana a girl crosses over to womanhood through a Dipo initiation with heirloom glass beads to mark her passage. A boy becomes a man through complex circumcision rites. Village elders teach morality through storytelling or riveting masked dances. Nothing is written down. Even the steps to create a dye or a pattern on a textile are all retained in someone's memory and passed down orally from generation to generation.

I travel to West Africa to see ceremonies marking passages of life and a wide spectrum of artistic expressions reflecting the communities’ beliefs, history, and traditions.