African Art and Crafts
 When a person views African art, several themes seem to come up over and over again. These themes are representations of different things that are significant to African culture; and reveal the importance behind some of its most beautiful art.
The common themes are:
- A couple
- A woman and a child
- A male with a weapon or animal
- An outsider or "stranger"
 Couples are most commonly shown as freestanding figures of relatively the same size and stature. They may be representative of ancestors, a married couple, twins, or community founders. This is representative of the importance placed on two as one. Most art of this type was developed for shrines or for positions of ceremonial honor. Sexual intimacy is rare in African carvings. This in that it is rare for men and women to display their affection publicly. The most common theme of the male and female couple is that of strength and honor; not love and intimacy.
The mother and child couple is often representative of mother earth and the people as her children. African women will generally have a very strong desire for children as well however. The strong desire that a woman has to bear children further shows the strong mother child relationship that is a vital part of African culture.
A male with a weapon or animal (commonly a horse) is commonly produced to show honor to departed ancestors. Animals are rarely sculpted for the purpose of showing the inward or outward beauty of the animal; but to give status to the person. Even today, many in Africa would consider the ownership of a horse to be of greater status than the ownership of an automobile. Showing a person with a horse would then be giving great honor to them. Sometimes people are shown with animals that are not really ridden; possibly even mythical. The purpose is to show the power given to one who rides such an animal; and the wealth that they must have.
As women achieve significance through their children, men will often be honored in warfare. The one who goes into battle must have physical, emotional and spiritual energy to survive and to conquer. Thus the emphasis on weapons and the spoils of war in many African works.
A final common representation in African art is that of the stranger. In Africa, a stranger is someone from a different country or tribe. They would usually not be welcomed; and the more distorted the portrayal of the stranger, the greater the gap that is normally symbolized. Sometimes strangers; especially white foreigners; are given a form of respect based on their relatively great weaponry and other powers.
     
Unfortunately, much of African art comes with no explanation of the meaning intended to be symbolized when it was created. When the meaning can be discerned, the deeper understanding gained and fuller appreciation of the cultural heritage can be obtained in a more meaningful and memorable way.
African Jewelry
Much of African culture places great emphasis on appearance and therefore on jewelry. African jewelry has been given tremendous attention for centuries. Own a useful and beautiful part of African culture now. Many pieces of African jewelry contain cowry shells. They are not only beautiful but also symbolic!
The images displayed here are part of the African Reflections Online Store Collection. Available for purchase exclusively through our online store at www.africanreflections.com |
Get to know Africa 
When Jason Mwakapesa left his village of M’Jombe Iringa for Dar-es-Salaam, he expected to stay for at least one month while promoting his business. He sells hand made bamboo baskets which are made by women in his village. Since he was 12 years old he has been making the long trip, often forced to walk almost 100 KM carrying over one-hundred pieces of merchandise. Once he arrives in the town of Baya, he boards a fourteen hour bus which costs him $25 US dollars, which equals to almost 37% of his monthly sales. The one and a half day journey is only the beginning of a tough month of selling these baskets to local vendors. The largest sale he will receive at one time is only five baskets where he makes approximately $3 US dollars. He will continue to linger the streets of the capital city for a month until all of the baskets are sold and he can return home after earning just over a dollar a day for his village. 
Long ago, it would be difficult to find Masaai tribe women in cities of East Africa. They used to concentrate on helping their nomad men keep their herds to make sure that they earn by selling healthy cows.
Dar es Salaam means "House of Peace" in Arabic. For a city which such a name it is a suprisingly busy and lively place where it is sometimes hard to find some rest. Unfortunately, security has deteriorated and it is no longer safe to walk in town after sunset. In practice, although not in theory, it is the capital of Tanzania. The president and the cabinet ministers spend most of there time there and you also find there the head offices of various governmental organisations, parastatals etc. 
