The idiom of war in the Bamum court arts
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
It is a widely acknowledged concept in the analysis of art traditions that
in many instances the visual and verbal arts are purveyors of ideological
beliefs. They may become tools in the persuasive efforts to express sets of
beliefs and theories, to explain and to popularize them. As an excellent
vehicle for communication, the visual and verbal arts can thus be highly
inspired by the ideology of their creators, their commissioners, or both.
It is the aim of this paper to show how this intimate relationship materializes
itself in the visual and verbal domains in a West African kingdom, the
Bamum State located in the Grass fields of Cameroon. I will examine this
relationship in one specific sphere, the realm of warfare and conquest. [TRUNCATED]
Description
African Studies Center Working Paper No. 51
License
Copyright © 1981, by the author.