African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African folklore 958
What made Shona sculpture unique or “authentic,” according to McEwen, was its
presumed deep, spiritual connections to primeval Shona traditions found in the carved
stone birds at the ancient ruins of Great Zimbabwe, its pure, mythological subject matter
inspired by dreams and visions that reportedly appeared to the artist in spirit possession,
and its independence from any external influences or market demands. Those who
disagree with McEwen’s position suggest instead that Shona stone sculpture is no
different from any other type of commercially produced art. These critics take the view
that McEwen was largely responsible for “inventing” the idea of Shona sculpture, and for
concocting a corpus of Shona symbols and totemic myths with which to interpret the
works, with little input from the artists themselves. Critics also point out that the term
Shona sculpture itself is a misnomer, as most of the artists are not Shona, but rather
migrant farm laborers of diverse ethnicities from Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, and
Angola. This ongoing debate over the art-historical status and quality of Zimbabwe
sculpture is highly instructive, as it points to both the complexity and contentiousness of
commercial production in African art history.
Conclusion
African artists involved in commercial production continue to be caught in a web of
conflicting agendas imposed on them by those who consume, and those who critique,
their works. Although some would like to stimulate artistic creativity among artists by
encouraging experimentation with new styles and mediums, others, driven perhaps by a
nostalgia for Africa’s precolonial past, discourage any type of aesthetic change or
innovation. Although some would like to elevate certain forms of commercial art to the
Western category of “high” art, others insist that commercial works are unworthy of such
honor and must be relegated to the status of mere craft. Finally, while some champion the
economic success of struggling commercial artists, others view the financial aspects of
the art trade as defiling the supposed purity of authentic African art. Against this
polemical backdrop, artists across the continent nonetheless maintain their successful
production of a vast array of art objects destined to satisfy the demands of the tourist
trade.
References
Bassani, Ezio. 1979. Nineteenth-Century Airport Art. African Arts 12, no. 2:34–5, 90.
Ben-Amos, Paula. 1976. “A la Recherche du temps Perdu”: On Being an Ebony-Carver in Benin.
In Ethnic and Tourist Arts: Cultural Expressions from the Fourth World, ed. by Nelson H.H.
Graburn. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Ben-Amos, Paula. 1977. Pidgin Languages and Tourist Arts. Studies in the Anthropology of Visual
Communication 4, no. 2:128–39.
Cornet, Joseph. 1975. African Art and Authenticity. African Arts 9, no. 1:52–5.
Fagg, William. 1959. Afro-Portuguese Ivories. London: Batchworth Press.
Kasfir, Sidney Littlefield. 1992. African Art and Authenticity: A Text with a Shadow. African Arts
25, no. 2:41–53.
McEwen, Frank. 1960. Art Promotes Racial Understanding. Museum News. 36–9.