Traditional, classical and folk arts of African origin have for long been misunderstood and or barely understood by Western scholars who often referred to it as the “dark continent.”
But that epithet was part of the limitation of Western orientation and understanding rather than any inadequacy on the part of cultures that have stood the test of time firmly and with strength born out of a long history. Despite the fact that a large part of the African continent is uninhabitable due to natural reasons like the Kalahari and Sahara deserts taking up most of the land area, tribes like the Zulus, Watusi, Kikuyu, Ruanda-Urundi and the Masai along with other bushmen have survived in Central and South Africa and with them have survived some of the world’s oldest cultures.
Religious conversions of the indigenous populations have ensured the fading out of some cultural patterns and manifestations, and the birth of some rather new fangled “touristy” art, but I suppose that is inevitable in the global context and certainly better than synthetic souvenirs “Made in China.” Like other old cultures of the southern hemisphere, including Japan, China, West Asia, South East Asia and of course India, every manifest and unsaid aspect of life had a deep philosophical and spiritual context and meaning. This in turn percolated into its cultural manifestations including its crafts, visual and performing arts. For several reasons, arts from the African continent have rarely been seen in India and this despite the long shared cultural history and large-scale migrations from India to Kenya, Uganda and Mauritius. In fact, anthropologists contend that the Ongee and Jarwa tribes of the Andamans are the original races and most of the Blacks can trace their roots to them.
In this background, comes a show Afro Adanma presented by Kala Drishti featuring works of Thomas Ongon’ga, Michael Soi, Edward Orato, Dennis Muragiri and James Oluoch from Kenya. Adanma, which literally means daughter of beauty, draws inspiration from African art forms and symbols of culture, beauty, family and humanity. The exhibition mixes together a vibrant array of works, from paintings on cloth and batik prints to sculptures of Zulu warriors in wood and soapstone. Each creation showcases the artist’s personal journey and everything the artists love and fear. Themes explored in this exhibit are inspired by everyday life, warrior-clans and wildlife. The colours are bright and bold in shades of red, ochre and ebony. The figures are tall and shapely with their ebony forms capturing the inherent beauty and strength of its people.
Interestingly, like Indian crafts, not much of the African art bears the stamp of an individual artist. Artists were sometimes requested to do specific work for a king or leader, but for the most part, works were created by several tribal artists working according to tradition. Yet in spite of restrictions, the African artist managed to express his own imagination and technique. If a new technique became successful, it became part of an ever-growing tradition.
Contemporary African art has evolved from just being traditional to engaging with modern ideas of fluidity, identity, resistance and significance of family life, rituals, mythology and music. In Africa, every line, every form, and every arrangement of shapes on a work of art has a specific meaning and context. Kenyan culture is no exception, and is influenced by the life of its nomadic tribes, and this magical charm is reflected in its visual art with its long and traditional influence. Many Kenyan traditional societies lay great significance on decoration of both functional and ritual objects. There is great stress on physical beauty and adornment like elaborate hairstyles and body-painting.
The exhibition also explores the changing landscape of communication in Kenya and uses sound installations of drums beating in the background to give the visitor a chance to experience the magic of those vibrating sounds. Its music is structured around a deep rhythmic chant. This magical charm is also reflected in its visual art, which has a long and traditional influence. African cultures have, for centuries, used drums and other varied instruments and masked performances in dynamic, multi-sensory forms of coded communication executed to transmit salutations, local history, beliefs and social values. In fact, it is said that the jungle drums could transmit any message anywhere across the continent within 24 hours well before the telephone was even conceived, let alone invented! Here’s to modernity!

Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist and can be contacted on alkaraghu-vanshi@yahoo.com