Bamum. Christraud M. Geary.

Kolejna książka z serii Visions of Africa wydana pod kuratelą Muzeum Sztuki w amerykańskim Cleveland. Tym razem prześledzimy wraz z autorką historię sztuki kameruńskiego ludu Bamum, który miał (i nadal ma) swoją stolicę w mieście Foumban. Pani Geary opisze najciekawsze maski, rzeźby, trony i inne regalia, które przechowywane są dzisiaj w sułtańskim pałacu, ale głównie jednak w wielu muzeach porozsiewanych na całym świecie albo czekają spokojnie w prywatnych galeriach zamożnych ludzi zainteresowanych kameruńską sztuką. Przeczytamy tutaj trochę o samej historii ludu Bamum i o sułtanie Ibrahimie Njoya, siedemnastym z kolei władcy Bamum, który rządził od 1886 do 1931 roku, a za sprawą którego sztuka tego ludu zyskałą światową sławę. Cytaty:

“Two celebrations, the nja and ngoun festivals, punctuated the year”.

“The ngoun festival occured after the harvest, towards the end of July, when the heads of the noble lineages brought to the palace their tribute in the form of livestock, game, fish, palm-oil, and such staples as maize and sorghum from their estates in the countryside. Most of the tribute was redistributed to members of the palace and the population throughout the year, while another part ‘fed’ the people during a day-long public celebration”.

“The French administration outlawed ngoun in 1924, when it officially removed King Njoya from power and abolished tribute to the palace. Many years later King Njoya’s grandson, His Majesty Sultan El Hadj Ibrahim Mbomo Njoya, revived ngoun on a grand scale. The first such a festival took place in 1993 m and by now ngoun is a widely advertised bi-annual event in the month of December, attracting visitors form around the globe”.

“In the nineteenth century glass beads were cherished imports from the factories in Italy and Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), and reached the Grassfields from the Atlantic coast through middlemen. They served as currency in some regions, and their distribution in kingdoms such as Bamum was under control of the ruler… When the Germans arrived in the area, they soon realized that beads would be excellent for barter and exchange and began bringing large quantities of multicoloured seed beads”.

“Cowrie shells (mbuum) combined with bead embroidery highlighted design elements, and at times covered larger surfaces, such as seats of stools and thrones. They came from the Indian Ocean through long-distance trade across the African continent. Hausa merchants initially introduced them to the Grassfields from the north in the early nineteenth century”.