African Arts Gallery

Decorated with a frieze of parallel grooves and diamonds, this ancient container from East Africa was designed by a nomadic people. The latter was particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurrent infighting. Population groups called "Bantous interlacustres", located between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda , Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, as do their artistic production and their everyday objects.
Apart from the prestigious vases created by the potter in the service of the king, named kujona , The Ganda of Uganda also produce containers for everyday use, such as this object patinated by use and equipped with a woven lid. Desication crack.

In the history of African art these iron blades were used as bargaining chips but also for offerings, wedding dowries and of course for great festive and ceremonial occasions. African tribal art is very rich. The Ga'anda, located on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon, are known for their terracotta for funerary rites. Before the colonial era, Payments in Africa have never been made by means of coins: transactions were made with products considered precious, because they are rare, useful, or desirable: cattle, pieces of cloth, pearls, cowries, salt, kola nuts, and especially metals ... But it was iron that attracted attention, which soon became the unit of measure against which all other commodities were evaluated. " L. Adler " Objects afr icains " ed.