A study and discusion on Ivory Coast: Arts

My grandparents- Ronald Gene and Bette Burrows spent their last mission years of service in Cote d'Ivore. My grandmother spoke of going to villages where they were warmly welcomed and showered with gifts. Almost always they would break out in song in the dialect local to their region. When singing was done in French it often was to do with Christian themes.

As we learned in the class lecture, the songs of West Africa often depict stories and the history of the region. Unfortunately my grandparents did not learn much of the 78 local dialects so they were unable to fully appreciate the music. My grandmother said of attending church in Ivory Coast that there was nothing like the music listen to their rich African voices sing praise to God. In the villages they visited however the locals would bring out their large drums; they would dance for hours, and wears masks.

Though my grandparents did display a mask on their mission display in churches, they chose to not display one in their house due to the pagan implications. The masks of Ivory Coast are considered their primary form of art. They are believed to depict spirit and the dance and song melded with wearing the mask is believed to communicate and influence the spirits. Many of these masks are ornate and breathe taking, carved from local timbers and made out of one piece of wood. One of the primary gifts they would bestow upon my grandfather was the title of Chief for the day. And an African chieftain must be gowned appropriately. My grandparents brought back about a dozen chieftain gowns which had been gifted to them from various villages and in appreciation for their medical work. The textiles are strong, beautiful, and many lovely details were all woven in by hand. Of the grandchildren I have the honor of display one of these on my bedroom wall, a constant reminder of my Grandparents legacy and the African people of Cote d’Ivore.

Bibliography

There are so many resources available on the art and culture of Ivory Coast, these are only a few I looked into but thought might be interesting to share.

On the masks of Ivory Coast

Our Africa. Arts and Crafts. Accessed May 19, 2015

http://www.our-africa.org/ivory-coast/arts-and-crafts

Lotus Masks. The Ivory Coast & West African masks. 2015. Accessed May 18, 2015

http://www.lotusmasks.com/category/african-ivory-coast-masks.html

Music

Our Africa. Local Music. Accessed May 19, 2015

http://www.our-africa.org/ivory-coast/local-music

Kakou, Gem. Louanges adorations HD "Louez l'Eternel". November 7, 2016. Accessed May 18, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mG9ovBsTcs&list=PL357A91D8E5D13E4E

LionofIsrael. Meiway - Awane - ivory coast bete music. March 10^th, 2013. Accessed May 20, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJFPlx246MY