Luba: Visions of Africa

This image-filled book features outstanding works of Luba art from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Major themes to be addressed include the role of visual and performance arts in Luba traditional politics; the symbolism of the female image and why 'the king is a woman' for Luba; the instrumentality of royal insignia in politics, problem-solving, and healing; and the use of art objects in the creation and transmission of historical knowledge in both the Luba heartland and its peripheries. Case studies from the authors' long research among Luba, Tabwa, and related peoples of the Congo will illuminate the complex philosophical underpinnings of Luba thought and visual expression.

1112295797
Luba: Visions of Africa

This image-filled book features outstanding works of Luba art from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Major themes to be addressed include the role of visual and performance arts in Luba traditional politics; the symbolism of the female image and why 'the king is a woman' for Luba; the instrumentality of royal insignia in politics, problem-solving, and healing; and the use of art objects in the creation and transmission of historical knowledge in both the Luba heartland and its peripheries. Case studies from the authors' long research among Luba, Tabwa, and related peoples of the Congo will illuminate the complex philosophical underpinnings of Luba thought and visual expression.

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Luba: Visions of Africa

Luba: Visions of Africa

Luba: Visions of Africa

Luba: Visions of Africa

Hardcover

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Overview

This image-filled book features outstanding works of Luba art from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Major themes to be addressed include the role of visual and performance arts in Luba traditional politics; the symbolism of the female image and why 'the king is a woman' for Luba; the instrumentality of royal insignia in politics, problem-solving, and healing; and the use of art objects in the creation and transmission of historical knowledge in both the Luba heartland and its peripheries. Case studies from the authors' long research among Luba, Tabwa, and related peoples of the Congo will illuminate the complex philosophical underpinnings of Luba thought and visual expression.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9788874392971
Publisher: 5 Continents Editions
Publication date: 02/25/2007
Series: Visions of Africa Series
Pages: 160
Product dimensions: 6.62(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.62(d)
Age Range: 13 - 18 Years

Table of Contents


Art and Efficacy     7
Efficacy, Agency, and the Capacities of Things     10
Luba Art through the Lens of Time     11
Identifying Luba Artists     13
Accretions of Identity     16
"The Buli Master"     18
Luba Arts of Memory and Diplomacy     19
Mbudye: Keepers of the Code     21
Privileges of Possession     24
Beads of Memory     27
Masquerades and Mnemonic Performance     29
Bulopwe and the "Making" of Kings     31
Kings of the Sacred Blood     31
Seats of Power     34
Headrests: the Seat of Dreams     36
Staffs of Life     38
Forging Kingship     41
Bilumbu Diviners: Masters of Metaphor and Magic     45
Receptacles for Moonlight     47
Bankishi: Objects of Activation and Instrumentality     50
An Aesthetics of Efficacy: The Female Image in Luba Art     53
The Cultural Construction of the Body     54
Cultivating an Effective Body Politic     56
Conclusions and Beginnings     58
Plates     61
Plate Captions     125
Commented Bibliography     135
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