On the other hand, some municipalities like numerous walled Yoruba cities, compared, if not rivaled, growth in Europe and Asia. When Dutch traders arrived in Africa at the end of the 13th century, they confirmed that urbanization in Benin City (Nigeria) in West Africa was truly no different than other European cities:
These African cities were well-planned and laid out on structured grids. Some cities contained intricate sewage systems and defined streets…some streets in a Nigerian town were paved. A Portuguese trader and interpreter, Duarte Barboosa, said of the east African city Kilwa:
Royal leaders in many African kingdoms lived in the lap of luxury and their opulent municipalities reflected their lifestyle. An earlier century book
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Some groups even wove coded messages into their cloths that conveyed political and philosophical thoughts. Ghanaians produced silk and intricately woven Kente cotton cloth; Mandingas and Malians wore mud cloths comprised of characteristic brown and beige patterns; and the Congolese, or Bantu people, commonly wore tufted Kuba cloths. Kongolese textiles were also distinguished for their the delicately crafted damasks, sarcenets, satins, taffeta, cloth of tissue and velvet. Professor DeGraft-Johnson observed that:
Royal leaders commonly adorned delicate weaving materials and elaborate accessories. A visitor to the central African kingdom of Kanem-Borno commented that ruler’s dogs had chains of gold; and his cavalry wore golden “stirrups, spurs, bits and buckles.” Royal Ashanti leaders wore elaborate weaving styles that included silken Kente fabrics woven with golden threads as described, by Duarte Barboosa, an early 16th century Portuguese trader: Fabric colors represented cultural meanings for various ethnic groups. While some ethnic groups considered red as a sign of wealth, other groups perceived red as a sign of
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in West Africa. These statues and figures that consisted of distorted human statues and masks are widely speculated to have inspired Picasso 's experiments with Cubism. The Yoruba people of Ife also influenced lost-wax cast metal art, also known as Benin Art, after the people of Benin City that perfected the art of cast metals to the highest quality. Village craft workers in Benin had extensive knowledge of pottery and metalworking temperature changes that prevented the materials from cracking during the casting process. The guild workers forged, then cast clay and metal in wax casts that were shaped into pots, masks, and statues. After the metal was set, artisans hammered and embellished them with one-of-a-kind designs. In the late 1800s, a curator at the Berlin Museum für Völkerkunde
“Caravans of Gold”, a video by Basil Davison discovers and highlights numerous assets about gold and its prominent role in Africa. Additionally, the video examines some of the past and influential empires and their achievements. Davison discusses the history of Africa before the arrival of Europeans to demonstrate how Africa was already a well-flourished continent. “Caravans of Gold” also discusses many topics such as the Mali Empire, trading systems, and the use of gold which shows the audience of the video of how Africa was. In the long run, the aim of the video is to give the audience of the video an understanding of how the empires in Africa used its resource of gold to flourish.
In the middle of the 15th century, Portuguese explorers began to establish trading outposts along the western coast of Africa, thus beginning the first steps toward imperialism by European nations. It is estimated that the first trading of Africans as slaves by the Portuguese began in 1444. The West African kingdom of Benin, however, still suc...
http://www.arm.arc.co.uk/britishBenin.html Negritude http://www.nigerdeltadirectory.com/websiteseminars/negritude.html http://www.culturekiosque.com/calendar/item14966.html http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/negritude/ (Accessed 14.02.11). African Art http://www.jpanafrican.com/ (Accessed 14.02.11). Benin Massacre http://www.dawodu.com/igbinedion3.htm http://www.arm.arc.co.uk/britishBenin.html http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/anthony-okosun/the-glory-of-benin-kingdom-and-the-shame-of-the-british-empire.html. http://books.google.co.uk (Benin Diplomatic Handbook By USA International Business Publications).
One of ancient Africa’s wealthiest kingdoms, Mali, traded with other kingdoms which introduced new ideas and ways of life advancing their civilization. This is an example of how African empires, kingdoms, and cities were advanced civilizations bringing in new ideas and ways of life before the arrival of Europeans. Ancient Africa was able to advance their cultures by their government, trade, and education without the introduction of ideas from the Europeans.
In documents one and two they explain and evaluate the trading system and routes of the African empires, kingdoms, and cities. Document one shows the layout of the Aksum trade center and the routes which lead to and from it. Aksum is an empire located right by the Red Sea, its location made it an important international trading center. African trade centers mainly focused on the exchanges of salt and gold. Since the red sea ports are controlled by the rea sea and Aksum was located right by it, its locations made it the center of the trade center. However, in document two it describes the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade. The trans-Saharan gold and salt trade was controlled by the rich and powerful Ghana kingdom. The king had shields
When ancient Greek historian Herodotus travelled to Africa, he described the African civilization and their achievements as “different but equal.” Davidson’s video is a valuable historical resource that presents the viewer with the information to believe so.
Before the arrival of European traders, Africa had successful in maintaining complex civilizations. The cities of Timbuktu and Mali demonstrate this with their qualities. A Moroccan traveler journeyed to Timbuktu and described it as a land of “many doctors, judges, priests and other learned men, that are well maintained at the king’s cost. Various manuscripts and written
In Africa, there were achievements in the empires or kingdoms and their cities before the Europeans arrived and took control. In the Kingdom (Empire) of Axum they developed a trade route. In the Kingdom of Ghana they had characteristics of powerful nations today. In the city of Timbuktu they had great morals and developed the center of Islamic Art. There are many other things that Africa achieved in.
This essay deals with the nature of a cross cultural encounter between the Benin people and Portuguese traders in the 15th and 16th centuries, which resulted in the depiction of Portuguese figures in Benin brass plaques. It will propose that this contact between people with different cultures was on the basis of 'mutual regard' (Woods, K. 2008, p. 16), and although the Portuguese had qualms about idolatry in Benin it will show that assumptions by Europeans up to the 20th century of the primitive nature of tribal African societies was inaccurate with regard to the Benin people, who had a society based on the succession of the King or 'Oba', a Royal Family and Nobility. The essay will finally suggest that Benin’s increase in wealth following the arrival of the Portuguese led to a resurgence in bronze sculptures and the introduction of a new form, the rectilinear plaque.
Also, the color that is the weavers weave in the cloth and different fabrics have various colors, some broken colors, the grays have the most vibrant colors that balance each other out into a harmonious palette from a distance.
A majority of southeastern art was lost when they were removed from their homes and moved onto reservations. It is through portable objects that were collected or bought by westerners that southeastern art survives. The main example this paper will be drawing from is a bandouliere bag titled only as Shoulder Bag made by the Cherokee people in the 1830s during the height of bandouliere bag production. It measures 20 x 23.5 cm and is currently held by the University of California in San Diego. A bandouliere bag is a bag that is worn crossbody with a large panel and a small pocket. The beadwork typically covers the strap as well as the front panel. Depending on the region the strap ends with different fringes and shapes. Almost universally, the beading pattern across the strap changes into a similar but distinctly different pattern when it reaches the top of the arch and travels back down. Most bag designs have a strong sense of balance but actively avoid symmetry. They also typically operate within a limited color pallet with certain colors being associated with different tribes. Although the most well known form for southeastern beadwork is the bandouliere bag, beadwork was also used in clothing such as belts and beaded panels. In some regions such as the Great Lakes bandouliere bags became objects to display artfully designed beadwork and lost their function as a
Lagos- is city, which is located in the coast of West Africa. Lagos is the most
Weaving is a common thread among cultures around the world. Weaving is a way of producing cloth or textile. Today we have machines that weave large-scale textiles at cheap prices. Production of cloth by hand is rarely engaged in today’s Westernized societies. Not many people are thinking about how the fibers are actually constructed to make their clothes. However, in other cultures across the world the tradition of weaving still exists. By comparing three cultures that continue weaving as a part of their tradition we can see similarities and the differences between them. The reasons that each culture still weaves vary, as do the methods and materials. The desired characteristics of the cloth also vary around the world as each culture values different aesthetics.
Nigeria Nigeria had an eventful history. More than 2,000 years ago, the Nok culture in the present plateau state worked iron and produced experienced terracotta sculpture. The history of the northern cities of Kano and Katsina dates back to approximately 1000 A.D. In the following centuries, Hausa Kingdoms and the Bornu Empire became important terminals of north-south trade between North African Berbers and the forest people, exchanging slaves, ivory, and other products. The Yoruba Kingdom of Oyo was founded in 1400s.
According to Elizabeth Walling (January 8, 2011), colors can be used to influence emotions and the feelings around us. That’s why something so simple like the color of a room affects people in several ways including the way they feel. The color red may trigger passionate feelings of anger of exposed to the color in a long period of time. The color green may calms others as it reminds them of nature. In conclusion, Elizabeth Walling says that it impacts our lives whether if it's a negative or a positive result.