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Unmasking the Masks
In the
appreciation of the arts, it is the rare that is sought after,
because the obvious can be trite, and a trifle dull. The obvious is
base, it is sensual and neither gores the intellect or spirit into
action. This can be said of the average (not all) art gallery in
Zambia, they are obvious : exhibiting the usual sculptures and
paintings.
But this is about
to change with an exhibition which Kachere Art Village is about to
run come 24 March.
Kachere has gone
for the rare and the rarity will be seen when this gallery, housed
at Munda Wanga, reveals its new exhibit : Masks alongside paintings
and sculptures.
Many art lovers
will not recall the last time they went to an exhibition which had
Masks on display. The common run of the mill galleries has never
given this genre of art their time.
But Kachere whose
basic pre-occupation is the promotion of culture realizes that Masks
are not only an art form, for some societies in Zambia. The Mask for
such societies, is a way of life.
Masks are major
players at rituals, tribal initiations and various celebrations.
Take the Nyau dancers of the Chewa people in Eastern Zambia or Gule
Wamukulu as it is known. These dancers wear masks as a symbol of
belonging to a secret party within their society. Gule Wamukulu
which is performed after the harvest, but it goes into initiation
ceremonies, weddings, funerals and the installation or the death of
a chief. Depending on the occasion, the Nyau dancers will wear Masks
accordingly.
The Masks are not
only for the Chewa. In North/Western Province, the Makishi Mask is
symbolic of the culture and tradition there. As amongst the Chewa
the Mask is significant with various rituals, including initiations.
The Makishi is also a major tourist attraction.
The Kachere
exhibition is primarily aimed at tracing the roots of African tribal
masks, though its main thrust will be on Zambia.
Masking has for
many centuries played a major role and is accompanied by prayer,
music, song and dance in Africa but elsewhere the reasons for masks
are different.
Masks have been used since antiquity for ceremonial, aesthetic, and
other practical purposes.
The
word mask cames from the French, Masque and either Italian, Maschera
or Spanish Mascara. Possible ancestors are Latin (not classical)
mascus, masca "ghost", and Arabic Masharah.
Masks have been, and are still used in fashion as part of the
costume. Many musicians, especially from the heavy metal genre, don
masks or heavy makeup on stage or promotional pictures for
theatrical effect. Examples include Kiss, Mayhem, Slipknot. Lordi,
Gwar, Gorgoroth and Death in June. Masks are also worn by wrestlers,
especially among Mexican and Japanese fighters.
But
whatever the reason, Masks remain popular.
The
oldest recorded known mask is about 5000 years old and was found in
Iraq. This is the Mask of Warka and has seen many adventures. After the American invasion of 2003 in Iraq, looters took
advantage of the Iraqi government's collapse to steal priceless
antiquities from the Iraq Museum. Artifacts, representing some of
mankind's earliest attempts at building a civilisation, disappeared
into the shadowy world of the international black market for art.
‘Thieves of Bagdad’ a book by, Matthew Bogdanos a Marine colonel and
a New York City prosecutor, makes interesting reading of this true
account of the events in Iraq then.
There is a whole
history to Masks, because every continent has its own cultural and
traditional contribution to these, our own creations. And this
exhibition will be celebrating African masks. Mark the date in your
diary : 24 March at Munda Wanga
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March
2007