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1,418 results for west africa

Essay

The Age of Iron in West Africa

October 1, 2002

By Emma George Ross

The fabrication of iron tools and weapons allowed for extensive systematized agriculture, efficient hunting, and successful warfare necessary to sustain large urban centers.

Essay

Divination and Senufo Sculpture in West Africa

January 1, 2010

By Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi

Diviners invest in the arts to foster personal relationships with the spirit world and enhance communication between nature spirits and humans.

Essay

Arts of Power Associations in West Africa

January 1, 2010

By Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi

[Power associations] are dynamic institutions that respond to local contexts and historical change and thus exhibit great variability.

Essay

Early Histories of Photography in West Africa (1860–1910)

March 1, 2017

By Giulia Paoletti

African patrons and entrepreneurs quickly picked up the new technology, which circulated and flourished through local and global networks of exchange. Photographers, clients, and images moved across the region often traversing both national and ethnic boundaries.

editorial

Introducing New York to the Cultural Wealth of Medieval West Africa

June 4, 2020

By Oumy Mbaye and Mouhamet Traoré

Two recent fellows from Senegal reflect on their time at The Met conducting outreach for the exhibition Sahel.

editorial

How Griots Tell Legendary Epics Through Stories and Songs in West Africa

April 20, 2020

By Hakimah Abdul-Fattah

In the western Sahel, legendary tales are shared and passed down through different forms of expression, but especially spoken word.

Publication

"Art and Politics: A Staff from the Court of Benin, West Africa"

Publication

"Photographic Portraiture in West Africa: Notes from 'In and Out of the Studio'"

The Metropolitan Museum Journal is issued annually by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its purpose is to publish original research on works in the Museum’s collection. Articles are contributed by members of the Museum staff and other art historians and specialists.

Art

Robe (boubou)

mid-20th century

Cotton, dye

Art

Wrapper

mid–20th century

Cotton damask