African Arts Gallery

Minimalism and stylization for this figure of African tribal art coated with a rusty ochre patina. Riding an equine, this couple is equipped with a hoe, symbolizing the work of the earth, but also a shield, linked to the status of warrior. The populations of the same cultural region, grouped under the name " lobi ", make up one-fifth of Burkina Faso's population. Few in Ghana, they also settled in northern Côte d'Ivoire. It was at the end of the 18th century that the Lobi, from northern Ghana, established themselves among the Thuna and Puguli Autochtons, Dagara, Dian, Gan and Birifor. The Lobi believe in a creator God named Thangba Thu , to whom they address through the worship of many intermediate spirits, the Thil, the latter being supposed to protect them, with the help of the sooth, from a host of plagues. Bush geniuses, red-haired beings called Kontuor , are also expected to help them. To communicate with men, the different Thils reclament sculptures of bateba in order to be embodied. Various sacred altars are erected around the lobi houses. The sanctuary of the family home is called the Thildu, where tribal sculptures of wood, iron or brass, statues of ancestors and batebas.