1. Sankofa Bird

From the Ashanti (Akan) People of Ghana, 22″ x 16.5″

Starting bid $100
Buyout $350

2. Awole Game

Starting bid $15
Buyout $50

3. Lidded Cameroon Basket

Starting bid $60
Buyout $180

4. Hunting Antelope Relief Panel

Starting bid $35
Buyout $100

5. Pounding Fufu Relief Panel

Starting bid $35
Buyout $100

6. Storytelling Relief Panel

Starting bid $35
Buyout $100

7. Kifwebe Mask

Starting bid $250
Buyout $750

8. Giant Hair Comb

Starting bid $30
Buyout $100

9. Three Little Monkeys

Starting bid $25
Buyout $75

10. Small Beaded Giraffe

Starting bid $20
Buyout $60

11. Man’s Tunic

Starting bid $80
Buyout $250

12. Green and Amber Double Strand Necklace

Starting bid $150
Buyout $450

13. Crafty Necklace

Starting bid $100
Buyout $350

14. Crafty Wall Hanging

Starting bid $175
Buyout $500

15. Matianna Blue Necklace

Starting bid $250
Buyout $750

 16. Yellow Chief’s Beads

Starting bid $50
Buyout $150

 17. Sankofa Bird Necklace

Starting bid $80
Buyout $250

Saturday, October 4 at 7:00 pm

Zuanich Boathouse at the Bellingham Marina, 2600 N. Harbor Loop Drove, Bellingham, WA 98225

From the Personal Collection of Kathryn Roe

These three items from the personal collection of Kathryn Roe will be for sale at the auction. Kathryn’s appreciation of West African art is what first brought her to Cote D’Ivoire and then Ghana, years before founding Anansi Education. Since the first Anansi art auction in 2005, Kathryn has curated art each year to bring from Ghana. These museum-quality pieces have been in Kathryn’s personal collection for decades and are among her favorite representations of West African art.

Silent Auction Items

Live Auction Items

1. Bee Mask

12.75″ x 6.75”
Estimated Value: $250.00

This contemporary mask is a modern interpretation of a traditional Zaire Song Ye “bee” carving. The striped
patterns represent power, transformation, and the link between the physical and spiritual worlds.

2. Modern Spirit Spouse

4.75” x 4.75” x 32”
Estimated Value: $425.00
This modern interpretation of a Baule Spiit Spouse, reflects a contemporary adaptation of Baule aesthetics and represents the
idealized spirit partners believed to exist in the otherworld (blolo).

3. Large Ebony Rhinoceros

21” x 5.75” 
Estimated Value: $700.00

This sculptural representation of a rhinoceros, one of “the big 5”, is hand-carved from a single piece of richly toned ebony,
showcasing the West African artisan’s mastery of form, balance, and stylized naturalism.

4. Nigerian Clay Figures approximately

6” x 3”
Estimated Value: $375.00

These two clay figures come from the collection of Milt and Judy Krieger. They reflect the importance of music and maternal grace
in West African Culture. Often displayed in shrines or used in rituals to honor ancestors, celebrate fertility, or invoke protection.

 5. Chevron Trade Bead Necklace and Earrings

Estimated Value: $600.00

This incredible composition of African “trade” beads is assembled into a striking necklace. The bead form is in the traditional
Venetian chevron shape and made via the millefiori technique developed in Italy. These beads were used as currency, as well as
decoratively, during the trans Saharan and Atlantic trade between Europe and west Africa from the 16th to 20th centuries.

 6. Baule Portrait Mask covered with metal repoussé

19” x 7”
Estimated Value: $350.00

This Baule portrait mask of a young woman with reflects the Baule values of refinement and inner balance. The extended side panels
frame the face in an architectural manner, linking the figure to the spiritual realm.

7. Pair of Small two-piece Elephant chairs

18.5” x 9.5”
Estimated Value: $250.00

This pair of wooden chairs represents a modern interpretation of a traditional chief’s stool from West Africa, presented here in bas relief carving of elephants which are symbols of strength, leadership and wisdom.

 8. Fanti Fertility Doll

5.5” X3.5”
Estimated Value: $275.00

This finely carved wooden figure of a traditional Fanti fertility doll is distinguished by its elongated, flat, rectangular head and stylized facial features, the figure has small breasts and a projecting naval both referencing femininity and motherhood. These dolls are traditionally carried by women to ensure health and beauty of a future child.

9. “To Market, To Market” designed by Reynola Pakkusich and
quilted by Jo Baner

42” x 72”
Estimated Value: $750.00

This colorful quilt designed by Reynola Pakusich and quilted by Jo Baner, both locally renown Bellingham fabric artists, depicts a parade of African women on one side and a colorful collage on the reverse. They bridge detailed traditional quilting and contemporary fiber art motifs and techniques appealing to both historic and modern collectors.

10. Contemporary Yellow-toned Baule Mask

19.5” x 10”
Estimated Value: $650.00

This mask represents the spiritual essence of a young Baule woman, symbolizing youth, grace, and the continuity of life. The mask’s light coloration reflects the traditional symbolism where yellow or light tones are associated with female energy, freshness, and the dawn of life.

11.Hand Carved Ghanaian Djembe Drum

24.5” x 13.3”
Estimated Value: $600.00

This hand carved, contemporary djembe drum, was brought from Ghana by Kathryn Roe who purchased it from a master carver in
Aburi. It has a one-piece solid body and a premium goat skin head. The base is pyro-etched with adinkra symbols, one depicting the sovereignty of God, the other connotating affluence, power and influence. Included as well is a colorful carrying case. This style of drum originates from the Mali Empire of the 12th century.

12. Large Beaded Giraffe

30.5″ tall
Estimated Value: $450.00

This vibrant beaded giraffe sculpture is a striking example of modern Ghanaian beadwork applied to an animal form. Carved from wood
and meticulously hand-decorated with orange and back glass beads, the figure celebrates both African wildlife and traditional craftsmanship. Though giraffes are not native to Ghana, they are a common subject in contemporary African art, symbolizing grace, intuition, and long vision.

Zakpai Ge (Dan Policeman’s Mask)

$10,000.00

This commanding mask is a classic example of a Zakpai Ge, also known as a “policeman’s mask,” from the Dan people of West Africa. Such masks are not spiritual intermediaries but function as agents of community law and order, often patrolling villages to enforce rules during public festivals or ceremonial periods.

The mask is characterized by its bold red pigmentation—symbolizing danger, authority, and vigilance—along with large, round eyes that suggest constant awareness. Prominent carved teeth and a dramatic lower border of spherical objects enhance its intimidating expression. The elaborate headdress, composed of layered fabrics, a crown of cowrie shells (symbols of wealth and protection), and other accreted materials, denotes ritual potency and social rank. Zakpai Ge masks are typically worn with full costumes and are
accompanied by forceful movement, drumming, and sometimes spoken proclamations. The mask wearer, often part of a male
society, acts as a visible enforcer of norms, using the mask’s visual and performative power to command respect and compliance.

Bwa Plank Mask

$7,000.00

This striking geometric mask is a classic example of a Bwa plank mask, often referred to as a “butterfly mask” due to its broad, wing-like form and symmetrical design. Used in ceremonies by the Bwa people of Burkina Faso and Mali, these masks serve spiritual and social functions during initiation rites, funerals, and agricultural festivals.

The bold black X design across the face symbolizes the path of the ancestors or the crossing of life and death. Circular eye motifs, inset with reflective materials or shells, are believed to possess the power to see into the spiritual world. The addition of tall, abstract horn-like elements and long raffia fiber extensions enhances the mask’s dramatic effect when worn in dance.

Traditionally, the mask is animated during masquerade performances accompanied by music and community gatherings. It is worn with a full-body regalia made of raffia, hiding the dancer’s identity.

Yoruba Beaded Cloak

$8,000.00

This elaborately adorned beaded tunic, also known as an agbada or ceremonial robe, was created by Yoruba artisans
for a high-ranking chief or ritual leader. The garment is richly decorated with intricate beadwork forming symbolic imagery
and vibrant geometric patterns in bold red, green, blue, white, and black hues. Prominent on the robe are stylized figures,
chameleons, abstract human forms, and esoteric symbols, all densely embroidered in glass seed beads.

Beaded garments of this kind are markers of prestige and sacred authority in Yoruba culture. The central cross-like motif,
bordered with cowrie shells—a traditional symbol of wealth and spiritual power—may represent crossroads, divine guidance, or
the king’s power to mediate between realms. The twin lizard figures at the base symbolize adaptability, duality, and mystical
protection. Vertical motifs and symmetrical balance indicate harmony and cosmic order.

Only the most elite, often members of royal courts or powerful religious societies, are entitled to wear such garments. They are
worn during important ceremonies, festivals, and initiations, where visual spectacle reinforces social hierarchy and ancestral lineage.

Greetings from Ghana.  This report is an attempt to bring those of you who have been involved in our  (as Bob McDonnell calls it) Ambitious Project up to date.  I’ve been here in Mpeasem, Cape Coast, Ghana now for about a month and one half.  Here is what has happened so far:  

The paper work telling the world that Anansi Education owns the property just north of Efutu off the road to Jukwa across from the new hospital is all filed in the proper places and now official.  Whew!  I mention this because it is not uncommon for foreigners to buy property from someone who does not own said property.  We are clear in that regard.

I brought 10,000 dollars to build the wall around the property to secure the place from people who might use the property as their own.  We got three estimates for the cost of the wall around the parameter of our six plots (480 ft by 80 ft).  Non of the estimates came close to our 10,000 U.S. Dollars.   All were higher – even the one from friends who were amateurs at wall building.  It took time, patience, and a bit of badgering until we settled on William Bagidah and  Son Construction Company Ltd.  It will cost 20,000 U.S. Dollars.  I feel comfortable with the decision to work with these people as both Daniel and Kwame assure me they are honest and will do a good job.  The wall should stand as long as a wall can stand.  At the moment they are digging the trench for the foundation of the wall.  They will first build a storage shed so there is a place to keep equipment secure on site and then begin the wall construction.  It should be near completion before I return.

The architects from Accra – Charles, Cyril and Kwame – visited us here in Mpeasem to look at the site, ask questions and gather the information they need to finalize the cost estimate for this project.  I met with them a few weeks ago in Accra to discuss the project.  Lalinatu who is our graduate who will be in charge of the school suggested to me prior to this meeting that we need a playground space and also we need to think about how the way we build the school will impact our status as a private school – A or B or C school.  These young architects said they would need to research those Ghana standards of construction for schools.  

The architects brought a drone to photograph the property from above for purposes of recording elevations and everything on the site.  Thousands of photos were taken, we had good conversation and will get  together again in Accra just before my trip back to Bellingham the end of this month.  Charles is interested in and has a collection of African Art.  He has offered to put me in touch with a friend of his who has much of what we enjoy at our auctions for sale.  And, he has offered to give us a piece from his collection for our auction this year.  They seem genuinely interested in what we are doing and how we are doing it.

——————————————-

I want to tell you about the Ghanaians who will be in charge of the project after completion; here are a few short profiles I want to share with you all.

Daniel Osei

Daniel’s official position in Anansi Education is as “Managing Director”.  He has been serving in this capacity for the past six and one half years.  He is now in charge of every aspect of Anansi’s program in Ghana. He hires an Anansi graduate to help with his job for two years prior to pursuing an advanced degree.  They work together to inform students in small remote villages about our program, select our students, buy and distribute school items and provisions for our students and plan and run our important “Host and Teach” program. That program, which is now the core of our work, was Daniel’s concept. Both Daniel and his assistant are extremely involved with the performance and well being of our students. 

In 2007 Daniel became an Anansi student graduating from Assin Manso in 2011 with the highest exit examination score possible.  He was granted a Master Card  Foundation Scholarship to attend Ashesi University in 2012.  He graduated from Ashesi in 2016 with a degree in Management Information Systems after which he moved to Nigeria for a job with Tendy Nigeria Co. Ltd.  He served first as Assistant Manager and was promoted to Store Manager.  Late in 2017 he returned to Ghana to accept the Managing Director job with Anansi.

Christine Meyer, a visiting tourist/teacher in our Host and Teach program, described Daniel as a “force of nature”.  He is.

Kwame Annan

“Let’s Go Tours” is the name of Kwame’s car rental and tourism business which has been in operation since 2001.  It is a small successful business in which he does most of the driving and tour guiding.  

Kwame graduated from Suhum Secondary Technical High School with a major in science in 1995 after which he taught school in junior and basic government schools for five years. He is married with three children.

Since the very beginning of Anansi Education Kwame has been involved as a primary support person.  He managed the paper work involved when Anansi became an official Ghanaian NGO in 2005 and today he is the one in charge of the paper work necessary for the purchase of the land for Anansi’s current  project.  His interest in and support of Anansi over the years  has been steady and strong.

Lalinatu Ibrahim

   Right now (February 2024) Lalina is looking for a job teaching elementary school.  She recently graduated from Cape Coast University with honors.  She was granted “First Class Honors” and “Best Graduating In Childhood Education”.  Her grade point at graduation was 3.9.  While waiting for government school jobs to open up, she is spending time with her ten year old son, Abdul,  at her sister Falaila’s house here in Mpeasem.  She stops in to help out with Anansi’s “Host and Teach” program occasionally. Lalina is applying for a teaching position in a good private school as she waits for a government job.

With encouragement and help from her sister Falaila (one of Anansi’s first six students in 2005) Lalinatu became an Anansi Student in 2014.  She graduated from Ghana National High School in General Arts in 2017.  She worked as Daniel’s Assistant for one and one half years until she had enough money to attend University.  She graduated from Cape Coast University with honors in 2022 holding a degree in Childhood Education.  While in attendance at the University, Lalina worked for a professor of  statistics sitting in on lectures and grading student papers. Her Government Service year was spent teaching in a small rural school in the village of Batanya near Assin Foso.

Lalinatu Ibrahim is devoted to the education of small children and her long term goal is to run a good, modern, state of the art basic school in Ghana.  She is very interested in Anansi’s plan for a basic school and is already giving advice about the “A” school physical requirements. 

Seidu Ibrahim

While Seidu is looking for a professional job he has created his own “on line” business selling phones, ear buds and computers.  As a start up business it is doing well.  Seidu is well organized and  knowledgeable.  He lives at the Anansi House in Mpeasem and does more than his share of maintenance and up keep of the house and grounds.

Seidu attended Ghana National High School graduating in 2017  with a degree in General Arts. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Geography in 2021.  You can read more about Seidu on our website at:  http://anansieducation.org/?p=1496.

There are more Ghanaian people very involved with Anansi:  Mohammed who was our first paid employee of Anansi who is now interested in a personal involvement with the new restaurant, Suzanne Bulver, retired head mistress of Kubease School, now teaching in a private school, Eric Mensah, a long time resident of the Anansi House in Mpeasem who is now teaching in a small village near here, and Matilda Nunoo, who is Daniel’s new assistant now living in the Anansi House.  Matilda is the light of my life at the moment as she keeps my kitchen cleaner than it has ever been.  She will be here for two years before heading on to school to become a midwife.  Cecilia, the first woman I met in Cape Coast back in 1998.  She serves on our board and runs the restaurant for Baobob, a German non profit here in Cape Coast. 

As you can tell, there are many wonderful people here ready and willing to help with this project once we get it going.  In other words:  It will be in good hands.

Ghanaian women in head ties and long cotton skirts weave through the crowded trotro station selling supplies for the journey. On their heads they balance round trays of their wares: kenkey, fermented white corn paste that’s wrapped in leaves and swallowed whole; mountains of salt-encrusted boiled eggs with tiny dabs of hot sauce on the side; cellophane plantain chip packets; loaves of bread; and plastic water sachets. Most of us shake our heads or use the Fanti word for no, dabi.

I’ve come to Ghana at the invitation of my friend Kathryn, to drop in on her world. She’s in the business of changing lives, hundreds of them, through Anansi Education, the foundation she started fifteen years ago to put Ghanaian kids through high school. Kathryn is 89 and doesn’t muck about.

The road to Kathryn’s house looks like a pump track, better suited to mountain bikes than taxis. Red dirt bears evidence of rainy seasons past, rivers of mud eroded, redirected, then sun-hardened into furrows and gullies.

Anansi alumni Eric, Seidu, Daniel and Sarah are already at Anansi House. Eric is a new university graduate, about to take up a teaching position. When he shows me around M’peasem, he tells me the word for the road’s rutted ruggedness is nungunungu.

Anansi’s Managing Director, Daniel Osei, is a force of nature who graduated from Ghana’s first Liberal Arts college, Ashesi University. He works and often sleeps in the Anansi office in what used to be Kathryn’s garage. Among the many hats he wears, Daniel manages applications for Anansi’s secondary school assistance. More than three hundred kids applied for next year’s scholarships, but there’s only money for thirty-nine. To help winnow the pool, Daniel makes home visits to assess applicants’ needs and living situations. That is what he planned to do for a few days–until another force of nature changes his plans.

In an epic rain event, Ghana receives a three-day deluge. Gully-washing torrents destroy roads and turn villages into islands, disrupting transport everywhere. Now I get how nungunungu happens.

It’s two days until sixteen mostly-math-and-science-track students come for Host and Teach. Host and Teach is Daniel’s brainchild. Nearly every month, he holds intensive retreats for current students. While better-off classmates spend school holidays with families, these kids will have two weeks to hit the books.

You should know when you visit Kathryn that she has a way of seeing how you can be useful, matching skills to visitors so everybody benefits. She told me I could maybe help the students with writing. It wouldn’t take much of my time. Sure, I said. Happy to help.

Friday morning I awake feeling a little otherworldly, disoriented. I’m running even warmer than my usually sweaty state and somehow my skin fits too tightly. A few hours later the clinic confirms that I have malaria.

Returning from the clinic, I join students make their way up the nungunungu road sporting clean Anansi t-shirts, carrying cotton knapsacks or a burlap bag full of yams. At the porch they shed umbrellas and slip off plastic shoes to come inside. Seidu, Anansi alumnus and fresh university graduate, gives them each a COVID test. After a hot meal prepared by alumna Sarah, they can rest. Kathryn’s two spare bedrooms will serve as dormitories: Ten boys in one, six girls in another. All of us need rest.

I’m sleeping, fevered and fitfully, when the lights snap on at 5 am. The students have begun their day with equally fevered sweeping and cleaning. I go back to sleep. By the time I have recovered, Host and Teach is in full swing.

As soon as it’s light enough, students take their places at tables in what used to be Kathryn’s driveway for two hours of math instruction. What follows breakfast is another nine hours of enrichment: Chemistry, Physics, Social Science, more Math. Teaching eight hours of basic subjects isn’t enough for Daniel. He slips in what he considers essential classes: Ethics, Career Development, Public Speaking, Programming.

The kids are all in and happy about it, seriously happy about school. They’re eager, astute, hardworking sponges intent on taking advantage of this opportunity. It feels urgent.

Assignment #1: What is your name and your story?

English has been their language of instruction since they began school. They’ve learned to spell words properly and accept whatever grade is given. No one taught these kids to write.

I tell them writing is a process, pass out composition books and erasable pens. Florence, Benjamin, Naomi, Francis and Francis, Dawuud, Mavis, Winnifred, Kelvin, Lameen, Samuel, Ephraim, Solomon, Prince, Clementina, Festus, and Raphael communicate in a language that is not their mother tongue, using the stiff construction of a textbook with only a nod to grammar and punctuation.

I write them each a letter to show how to critique supportively, but there’s a lot more to say. Their compositions are the basis for each new lesson.
Verbs must agree; people must agree.
They eat it up.

Kathryn says nobody ever asks about their lives, hopes, opinions, dreams. When I ask, sentences pour out like Ghana’s rain event, run-ons that mimic the voice of an excited teen. These sentences could run until they reached the sea, right through the Door of No Return.

Next lesson.

“And, and, and, and . . .” I chant, shaking my head. “. . . dabi, dabi, dabi,”

Just say No to run-on sentences.

“So, so, so, so…” I sing. I wait.

“Dabi, dabi, dabi.” They sing back, laughing, confident, eyes bright. Someone is finally explaining the rules. They’re getting the hang of it. It doesn’t take much.

Together, we tame unfettered heaps of words.

A paragraph, I say, is like a camel train of sentences. An overburdened camel will sink to its knees, unable to continue, and hobble those behind him in the train.

I, too, am speaking a new language.

The next time they hand in their notebooks, concise thoughts are clearly punctuated.

Well-mannered sentences respect what will come after, then end gracefully. No camels have been harmed.

Assignment #2. Write about a journey that you took or hope to take.

Past and future tense, conditional. Conditional means the outcome is uncertain, no matter how much faith you have.

Your dream, your hope, your desire, your wish. It’s not enough to use the future tense, then add God willing.

I could, I would, I might.

If only.

None of them expected to afford the cost of secondary school. They understand that passing means they won’t starve.

Perhaps, perhaps. . . .

Now they dream of careers in engineering, medicine, ophthalmology, entrepreneurship, education, cybersecurity. Common to them all is immense faith. Anansi can give them a taste for miracles, but there’s only enough money for three university scholarships.

What about the rest?

It wouldn’t take much.

Assignment #3. What experience changed who you are inside?

The stories that pour out of them are harrowing. Hazing at secondary school. Sexual abuse. Betrayal. Death of many parents. Despair. Nungunungu childhood.

They share what they have not put into words before. I’m flabbergasted by their trials. Are these the same kids who seem to be always laughing? My heart is breaking for them. They write matter-of-factly about the tiny miracles that brought them to this new world. A stranger’s words. One person’s compassion.

And something keeps them going, still keen to learn.

Two years ago, when they sat their Junior High School exams, secondary school was only a dream. They didn’t lack intelligence or diligence, only money. It didn’t take much. Two hundred and fifty dollars meant the difference between following their dreams and a lifetime in the market selling yams and kenkey.

It doesn’t take much.

Assignment #4. Write a funny story.

Perhaps we ought to lighten up.

At first their tales elicit chuckles, then giggling fits, then they convulse me with laughter. But my work has become serious. They must succeed.

“I and my friends” a story often begins.

Next lesson.

Put Others First, I admonish.

They already know. In the evenings, after fourteen hours of classes, they help each other with assignments.

By now, I’m all in, too. There’s so much I can do before I leave yet so little. I set up final office hours to give them personal encouragement. My broken heart overflows with compassion. I urgently want their success. To teach young people who are ravenous to learn, for whom so little means so much gives me joy, optimism, maybe a belief in miracles. It didn’t take much.

Thank you Florence, Benjamin, Naomi, Francis and Francis, Dawuud, Mavis, Winnifred, Kelvin, Lameen, Samuel, Ephraim, Solomon, Prince, Clementina, Festus, and Raphael for your hospitality. You trusted me with your inner lives and generously shared your authentic selves, hosting and teaching me. It has been an honor.

After my four-week stay in Ghana in December 2021, this short, friendly question was one I frequently heard. Answering briefly is, however, not easy. This would perhaps be my short answer: I encountered people who were for the most part dignified and reserved, a strenuous climate with very high humidity, more bureaucracy than I care to deal with, and I experienced a very steep learning curve. The effects of the unfair distribution of the material goods of this world became painfully clear as the difficulty of finding one’s place in another culture.

A few basic facts about and impressions of Ghana for starters – 

Ghana is located in the southern part of northwestern Africa. Its neighbors on three sides are French-speaking countries; the southern border is the Atlantic coast, which is just shy of 400 miles north of the equator. Ghanaians speak one or more of the many traditional languages. English is the official language of the country, but not all Ghanians speak it fluently. The population is young. (The average age is 21.5). Statistically speaking,  life expectancy in Ghana is the same as the retirement age of about 65 in Germany. The streets are vibrantly alive with ‘petty traders’ and taxi-drivers. The most common and cheapest form of transportation is by ‘shared taxi’, which you thumb down wherever you may be on the roadside. In contrast to Germany, one rarely sees anyone who smokes but is acutely aware of the difference in quality of life. This is apparent when one sees the makeshift repairs and the maintenance standards of objects of all types. No matter where you look, the most basic things for a comfortable life are lacking. What are regarded as  basic necessities in Germany, are hard to find in Ghana. My search for rust remover at the market was fruitless. On reflection, this becomes understandable. Such things do not make it onto the shopping list because they are prohibitively expensive and thus undreamed of. The average annual income for Ghanaians is about 5% of that for Germans. (World Bank)

Anansi Educational NGO

The reason for my stay in Ghana was to make a contribution to the work of Anansi Education. Anansi is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Mpeasem, not an hour’s drive north of Cape Coast. The goal of Anansi is to support promising students from extremely low income families both financially and with counselling and mentoring.

My role as a volunteer was to help students with their English during one of the “Host-and-Teach” sessions. 

Anansi Host-and-Teach sessions have been offered since 2017, since secondary education became free of charge. Tuition costs at private schools need no longer be paid by Anansi, but continuing support is, in fact, needed because parents are not able to afford schoolbooks, and because the state is not yet able to manage its secondary school program. In fact, wherever you look, the situation is dire. School principals are not hooked up to the Internet so record-keeping is extremely difficult. There are neither enough classrooms nor enough teachers which means that though Ghanaian youths are able to attend secondary school free of charge, a lack of resources means that students’ attendance is not regular. School takes place in quarterly ‘shifts’. The students are in school for three months, have a break from school for three months and return for a second quarter of instruction and so on. Anansi’s Host-and Teach sessions provide additional school lessons in the months when the students are not attending school. 

Kathryn Roe (with whom I am related), her sister and two of her children founded Anansi in 2005 and supported the first six students financially. At that time, children could only attend a secondary school when their parents paid school fees. Anansi has sponsored nearly 500 students since then. ‘Sponsoring’ meant that the organization paid for school uniforms, books, tuition, food and cooking utensils to enable them to attain their secondary school qualifications. Initially, the work of Anansi was financed by friends and by word of mouth. As time went on, the sale of African art objects and other contributions began to play a role. 

Every year, 36 young people are chosen for Anansi support. Recommendations for these scholarships are mostly made to the organization by word of mouth. The next steps are to see whether the students’ school grades indicate further success at school – and whether their families are truly in need. To this end, a so-called ‘home visit’ is made. Anansi co-workers visit the families at home and can form an impression of the living circumstances of the students. A set of questions is answered and presented to the Anansi board of directors for analysis and a final decision. 

During several of these home visits, I accompanied Daniel Osei and Angelina Eduaful, Anansi Manager and Assistant respectively. One walks past shabby dwellings – often along extremely rough paths, where goats and chickens run free. I had little chance to take in the surroundings as sandals which would have been dependable footwear elsewhere were completely inadequate. I was hardly able to manage to pick my way along the paths, many of  which are rocky, strewn with gravel and eroded by rainfall. One arrives at the dwellings of the candidates, which may be simple huts housing a whole family. One sits outside where family members receive the Anansi guests shyly and with friendly reserve. Seating is brought – either a wooden bench fashioned out of three solid boards or plastic chairs. Not seldom  two plastic chairs are stacked together to reinforce broken armrests or legs. The guests are always given the best seats. Then the aims of Anansi and the educational possibilities it offers to young people are presented to the family members. Questions about the family’s situation follow: Are both parents alive? – Do both parents accept and fulfill their parental responsibilities for the youth? – Who supports the family financially? – Is the family suffering from stress? (Is anyone sick? Has anyone died? Is anyone handicapped?)

The family is given a questionnaire to fill out with the request to return it to Anansi by a certain date. Then the Anansi guests take their leave. The home visits do not take long; generally, no refreshments are offered. One must ask oneself if the families have enough food and drink to cover their own needs.

It was an honor to be present on these home visits. One wishes that these families could have more of the material prosperity we enjoy in Germany. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” I would like to add that social well-being should include being able to participate in educational and occupational training opportunities.

Further information: http://anansieducation.org

Jane Vernon

Ghana, August 27-September 8, 2019

Last month I enjoyed a marvelous, deeply enjoyable trip to Ghana and Anansi Education.  It fell naturally into three parts—before the Anansi academic contest, the academic contest and the ensuing safari, and after the safari.
Kathryn Roe’s driver, Kwame Annan, met me and my travel companion Linda Skibo at the Accra airport on arrival, and we were in his competent hands or Kathryn’s for the rest of our two-week trip.  Kwame was a major presence in Linda’s and my experience in Ghana.  In addition to him being a superb driver and knowledgeable tour guide, he is a long-time friend of Kathryn’s and cultural interpreter. A brother of his is the chief of a village not far from Kathryn’s home.

                               Kwame eating fufu                              

    Linda and Kwame at Kintampo Falls

Because Linda and I needed some Ghanaian money, Kwame pulled over to the side of the road immediately after we left the airport, rolled down the window, and spoke with a young man standing at the roadside.  Within two minutes both Linda and I had changed US dollars for Ghanaian cedis, at the best rate we ever got.

That roadside transaction was the first of several that we enjoyed because of their ease and charm.  Driving in Ghana is marked by slowing down for speed bumps before every police checkpoint and at the entrance of every village.  Because vehicles are slowing down, it’s a natural place for street vendors to gather and to offer their goods to the passing traffic.  Most of the vendors are women, some of them young men or boys.  Typically, the vendors carry their goods balanced on their heads which may account for the beautiful posture and grace of movement of almost everyone in Ghana.  The variety of goods offered is amazing.  At
different times and in different places we purchased bottled water, yams, bananas, rolls of toilet tissue.  Transactions are quick and easy.

Roadside vendors

In any event, three hours after changing money Kwame deposited us at Kathryn’s home in Mpeasem.  It’s a large, very comfortable home with large rooms and tile floors.  It has a high cement block fence enclosing a yard and some adjunct buildings including a former garage converted into offices for Anansi Education.

 Bob entering Anansi House, Mpeasem

Abstract mural in living room of Anansi House

Linda and I had two notable adventures before the academic contest.  The first was a visit to Cape Coast Castle.  In colonial times the castle served as administrative and military headquarters, first for the Portuguese and then for the British.  It’s a large, imposing structure, painted white.  Our tour took us through the rooms of the governor’s palatial residence, with our guide emphasizing its spaciousness and remembered splendor.  Then he took us to daunting slave dungeons, where newly enslaved Ghanaians were held—stacked, really—pending being loaded onto a slave ship bound for the New World.  The dungeons are dark and cramped.  Though this was my second time through them (my first trip to Ghana was five years ago) it was still a wrenching experience.  Talk about humanity’s inhumanity to fellow human beings.  On an exterior wall near the entrance to the dungeon, a plaque memorializes a visit to the castle and dungeons by Barack and Michelle Obama in 2009, with the note that some scholars think that Michelle Obama’s ancestors may have been “processed” through these very dungeons.

Bob at Cape Coast Castle 

Slave dungeon

In addition to the castle/dungeon visit, while in Cape Coast we also changed money again.  This time Kathryn led us through the teeming market.  We went deep into the market to a fabric shop.  Kathryn introduced us to a gentleman behind a counter piled high with fabrics.  A low overhead added to the exotic atmosphere.  After we said that we wanted to change money, the gentleman sent a young man on an errand.  We waited and chatted.  The young man returned with a small packet which turned out to be our cedis.  He handed them to the gentleman who counted them out to us, and we went on our way.

In the days between Linda’s and my arrival and the academic contest, we explored Anansi Education by going on three “home visits” and by visiting the Assin Foso satellite of Anansi Education.  In the home visits, we met and talked briefly with the parents of three different current Anansi students.  Kwame drove, in his very comfortable Toyota Siena, to the place of each visit—from pot-holed highway, to unpaved street, to dirt lane, to cross-terrain driving through areas of mud or adobe buildings and assorted chickens and goats.  Twice we met with single mothers, told them how pleased and proud we were to be sponsoring their child, chatted for a few minutes through Lalinatu’s translation.  (Lalinatu Ibrahim, also Lalina, is an Anansi graduate and assistant to Daniel Osei, Anansi’s Managing Director in Ghana.  Daniel is an early Anansi graduate who did so well on the national school-leaving exam that he was able to attend and graduate from Ashesi University (and if you don’t know Ashesi, please look it up—it’s an amazing institution). Although all the parents had some English vocabulary, most of the talking was in Fante, the local language.  On the last visit, the parents were a couple, he a yam farmer and she a homemaker.  It was the most remote of the three visits.  We drove trackless for several minutes, then walked through semi-jungle for several hundred yards and met the parents.  Then, almost miraculously, as it had happened for the earlier two visits, someone produced chairs for us to sit on, out in the open air.  At each visit I was struck and humbled by the graciousness and dignity of the parents, the remoteness of their home, and the depth of their poverty.  Clearly these were valuable people whose children, without Anansi, would be trapped in their poverty.  When I asked Lalina how she picked the parents to visit, she said she chose the most accessible.

Student Home Visits

(from top to bottom: Rockson’s family in Odumasi Village, Godfred’s family in Odumasi Village, Godfred’s family with Bob and Kathryn, Comfort’s family in Wurase Station Village with Bob and Kathryn)

A few photos of visiting student homes in Wurase Station Village

Linda and I also visited the Assin Foso satellite, with Kwame driving and Lalina guiding.  Physically the satellite is a rented room in an adobe building, approached by another off-road adventure.  Daniel and Lalina go to each of the satellites periodically to meet with students and to provide group tutoring sessions.  On this visit we were able to augment the satellite with a whiteboard and easel, markers, erasers, cleaning fluid, and ten stacking plastic chairs.

McDonnell Satellite, Assin Foso

Then came the academic contest, held in Kathryn’s yard and pitting the four satellites against each other.  The contestants were teams of two students from each satellite, chosen by their satellite colleagues.  Additional students and several interested parents swelled the attendance.  The contesting students sat at four double desks, spectators on folding chairs.  Over the course of several hours Daniel posed the multi-part questions/problems, gave the contestants several minutes to answer, and explained with great clarity the correct answers. Lalina kept score.  Daniel and Lalina ran the contest crisply and effectively. The spectators distinguished themselves by their close attention to the proceedings.  The questions/problems were highly appropriate, some of them quite difficult, being chosen from past national high school graduation examinations.  I was impressed by the eager attention and firm involvement of everyone.

         Students from the four Anansi Education satellites compete in the academic contest

Assin Foso satellite won the contest, the prize being a trip (two days later) for all fifteen of the Anansi students from that satellite.  It was an exciting trip for the students, a two-day drive north to Mole National Park for a one-day safari.  Some of the students had never traveled far from their village, some had never seen a monkey, many had never seen an elephant.  For the drive, the students, Daniel, and Lalina traveled in a bus.   Kathryn, Linda, and I drove in Kwame’s Toyota.  We broke the two-day drive with an overnight stay in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city with a population of about two million people.  The students stayed in a new hostel, TUMI Hostel.  Kathryn, Linda, Kwame, and I stayed in a hotel about forty yards away.

The TUMI Hostel was one of those interesting places that Kathryn seems always to find.  Recently established by a young woman from the Netherlands, it was a combination of hostel, restaurant, fabric and dress store, and school of clothing design and sewing for young women, giving them a way to earn a living other than vending merchandise on the street.  We dined at the restaurant and purchased some clothing.  We stayed here on the way to Mole National Park and on the way back to Mpeasem.

Women Empowerment Center design studio at TUMI Hostel, Kumasi

Anansi group enjoying a meal at TUMI Hostel, Kumasi

On our second day of travel, we stopped at the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary that shelters two species of monkey, a large black and white species called Black-and-White Colobus with an especially long white tail.  These Colobus monkeys are shy and can be a bit nasty, and stayed in the jungle trees, eyeing us warily through the leaves.  The other is a friendly species known as Lowe’s Mona that came in clans down from the trees, approaching us carefully as we walked a short distance into the jungle and snatching bananas from our hands.  Ranging from the size of a large cat to that of a medium-sized dog, these monkeys were curious and swifter than lightning.  One such monkey was sitting on the ground about 10 feet from me, then dashed up, seized a banana from my hand, and was back in her original position calmly eating the banana before I could twitch.  One of them climbed in friendly fashion on the shoulder of Cosmo, our guide.

Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Nkoranza North District, Brong Ahafo Region

(from top to bottom: Our guide, Cosmo, with Lowe’s Mona Monkey,Lowe’s Mona Monkeys,  Bob feeding Lowe’s Mona Monkey)

At Mole National Park we stayed at the Mole Motel.  My room was large and comfortable, with the surprising notice on the back of the door asking guests to lock the door when they were in the room, to keep the baboons out.  A very nice swimming pool provided on opportunity for the students to splash around.  Kathryn, Linda, and I had fun watching.

Anansi Education students enjoying the pool at Mole Motel

Early the next morning our entire group rode into the jungle on safari, in open nine-passenger vehicles.  Over the course of several hours we saw several species of antelope, also bushbucks, warthogs, more monkeys, and baboons.  The big treat and the most exciting event was sighting a herd of six male elephants, clustered together as though for mutual protection.  To see them quite close, we got out of our vehicles and walked for several hundred yards. They looked content with each other’s company and spent most of the time using their trunks to scoop up dirt and scatter it over themselves to protect themselves from both heat and flies.  On returning to the Mole Motel we were treated to a view from the escarpment of several elephants grazing in a valley with watering hole just below the motel buildings.

Mole National Park, Damongo, Savannah Region

(from top to bottom: bushbuck, baboon, kob, safari driver and Bob, bushbuck and warthog, elephants)

Anansi Education group at the Centre for National Culture, Kumasi—our final stop together

After our return to Kathryn’s home in Mpeasem, Linda and I had two more very exciting experiences, both of them giving examples of the wonderful capacity of people in Ghana to enjoy life.  The first was the Cape Coast Festival (or Oguaa Fetu Afahyte) which celebrates the local chiefs with a parade.  For viewing the parade, Kwame activated his social network, and a friend of his invited us to view the parade from the second-floor balcony of her fabric and dressmaking shop.   Before ascending to the balcony, we had soft drinks at a table on the edge of the parade street, sharing it briefly with some people from Los Angeles in outfits made from matching fabric who had come to Ghana specifically to take part in the parade.  We ascended to the balcony and bellied up to the balustrade to view the unfolding scene below.  This main street of Cape Coast was thronged with joyous people from wall to wall and up and down the street.  For several hours, groups from the local villages paraded by singing, chanting, dancing, and holding high aloft their sumptuously attired chief in a sumptuously adorned palanquin.  As each group pushed its way through the throngs in the street, the lead element was typically a chanting, dancing group holding stools (symbols of chieftaincy), followed by the four stout fellows bearing the chief on their heads, followed by a group of musicians, sometimes playing native instruments, sometimes a brass band, sometimes a mixture.  Interspersed were men on stilts, a contortionist, men parading in wheelchairs—all joyous, all celebrating.  (I saw no evidence of intoxication.)  Linda and I were almost transfixed for several hours.

Cape Coast Festival

 As exciting and enjoyable as the festival and parade was, the next day surpassed it, for me.  Kwame’s brother Yousif drove us to Anomabu, a village not far from Cape Coast, to see a posuban, a shrine of the native religion, animism.   After dropping us off at the entrance to a broad alley, Yousif took the car to find a parking spot, and Linda and I walked about a block and a half into the alley until it widened.  There stood the most impressive of the posubans called Asafo #3 (Dontsin)—a piece of statuary about eight feet all, blocky, with several flat surfaces where statues of the venerated animal-gods stood—a rooster, a warthog, an elephant.  The statuary was freshly painted white, the animals in vivid colors.  Meanwhile Linda and I had attracted a crowd of neighborhood kids—about twenty or so—who crowded around us with intense curiosity and the biggest, widest grins ever.  Ranging in age from about two or three to perhaps nine or ten, they not only grinned but jostled each other, chased each other in circles, jumped up and down.  They were very excited and pleased to see us.  Through gestures, they signaled that they wanted me to take off my broad-brimmed straw hat.  Which I did.  They responded with howls of laughter, even broader grins, and more running around and jumping up and down expressing what I still presume to be pleasure, excitement, and joy.  We—the kids and I—repeated the experience.  I took off my hat; they exploded with joy.  Then Yousif showed up, and we returned to the vehicle.

At posuban, Asafo #3 (Dontsin), Anomabu

What ties the two experiences together for me—the parade and the kids—is the unalloyed pleasure in being alive that the Ghanaian people expressed.  For me, they were exciting and fitting final experiences in Ghana.  The next day Kwame drove us to the Accra airport, and Linda and I flew home.

 Around the dinner table at Anansi House, with Kwame, Kathryn, Seidu, Erick, Bob and John

Matthew Wilkinson is an amazing seventeen year old American high school student who is spending this school year in Ghana via the YES international exchange student program. Just recently Matthew’s family moved to Bellingham. He and the other five YES students in Ghana helped the Anansi staff with their home visits for their next year student selection.  The following is one of Matthew’s reports:

In late February, I, along with a few other American exchange students in Ghana, conducted home visits with Anansi. Each American was paired with an Anansi staff member or volunteer and went to a different area to visit the homes of low-income junior high school students. We had been provided the names of students in need of a scholarship by their junior high school headmasters. Dennis, who graduated years ago as an Anansi student and is now a nurse, was my partner, and he and I were assigned villages just outside of the prosperous city of Cape Coast. Because of their proximity to Cape Coast, I expected the villages to be relatively well off. After comparing notes with my friends who went deeper into the countryside for their village visits, this turned out not to be the case.

When Dennis and I crested the hill that led up to Kofufrodo, I was immediately surprised, since the village was clearly underdeveloped even by the standards of rural Ghana. Most of the houses were made of aging concrete, and the rest of mud bricks. I had been advised to take note of the roofing materials in the villages, and Kofufrodo’s roofs looked to me like they could barely keep out the rain. All the houses I saw were roofed with thin metal sheets, some held in place only by the weight of bricks placed on the edges. Once inside the village I noticed that there were no plastic water sachets among the litter on the ground. In another context this might actually have indicated wealth, but multiple residents told me it’s because they don’t have the money to buy treated water.

After a short search, we found Francesca, our first Kofufrodo student, cooking in a small mud structure which turned out to be her extended family’s shared kitchen. We greeted her and she woke her mother and we moved to a nearby concrete building with four or five rooms, and sat outside one of them, which, they explained, was where they lived. Dennis explained our mission in fanti and we began our interview, which lasted about 15 minutes. Most of the interview was conducted by Dennis in Fanti, but Francesca speaks English and I’ve learned a little Twi in my time here so I was able to engage her and her mother directly for a couple of questions as well. Dennis translated what I could not understand and I took notes throughout.

Francesca is 15 and lives with her single mother and her four siblings in the little room we were sitting outside of. The family’s only source of income is the mother, who makes kenkey (a fanti dish of fermented corn) which the children sell. The mother has an untreated eye condition which interferes with her ability to see clearly. A family like Francesca’s clearly can’t get the money to fund a high school student together. Someone like Francesca has so much to gain from a secondary education, which represents a chance to break the cycle of poverty and uplift her family and community.

Matthew

Yacouba Dancing Figures

These small brightly dressed and colored figures are of the Yacuba people. Dance is universally employed in all African cultures. Typically it is an expression of a specific story and allows for the expression of the full gamut of emotions of the human experience.  $35 each 

Whisks

These fly whisks are used with burning incense to remove evil spirits from a house. A ruler often carries a fly whisk as an emblem of status.  The hair is horse hair and is tied to a leather wrapped handle.  $15 each

Cotton Handbags

Hand made cloth bags with zipper pockets inside and out of individually quilted fabric pieces. Each unique and brillant in design.  $20

Ashanti Fertility Doll

Ashanti fertility dolls are one of the most identifiable forms of African Sculpture. Pregnant women carry these figures to ensure the beauty and health of their babies. The large disc head and abstracted features convey the stylized ideal of Ashanti beauty. $60

Awooley Board Game

This awooley  board game, here carved with an elephant on the lid, is a modern board for an ancient game dating back thousands of years. Pits for playing were found in the Egyptian tombs in Luxor and Thebes. Known by slightly different names in different regions, it is a count and capture game.  There are in fact more than 200 versions of this  game, played throughout Africa, all with slightly different rules. $55

Baule Mask

This beautiful Baulé kpwan mask is from the cult of Goli in Côte d’Ivoire.  The features of this mask exemplify the Baule attention to detail in their exquisite carvings. $250

Bolgatanga Baskets From Ghana

These lovely baskets, three of many that are seen in markets hosting African imports,  are wonderful ways to carry or store almost anything from food stuff at the farmers market to surplus towels in the bathroom. $50 each

Brass Music Man

This brass figure playing the xylophone is a charming figure made using the lost wax method. It may have been made for export or used as a standarized weight on a scale to measure gold. These figures can be seen in the African collections in many museums around the world. $95

Bolgatanga Blue Dress

This heavy cotton “fits all” garment is a beautiful blue indigo color. $45

Baule Spirit Spouse

The Baule of Cote d’Ivoire believe in a parallel spirit world. Historically these sculptures were kept and tended in the home to create tranquil family relations. This small male figure is a modern interpretation of an old tradition. The rotund man reflects the success he is experiencing in his life and should help insure that for the man of the household in our current world.  $110

Rectangular Cotton Batik Tablecloth

This blue and green rectangular cloth is 90 inches by 62 inches with eight napkins. Made from heavy cotton fabric, the central area has a figure of women carrying a large load on her head. The napkins have an abstract shape that is also found in the cloth border. The quality of the batik in Cote d’Ivoire surpasses that of most other African countries and does not seem to be available outside of West Africa. $130

Round Cotton Batik Tablecloth

This heavy batik purple and blue fabric tablecloth from Cote d’Ivoire is  70 inches in diameter and comes with eight napkins. The central area has a fish motif which is repeated on each of 8 napkins. The quality of the batik in Cote d’Ivoire surpasses that of most other African countries and does not seem to be available outside of West Africa. $110  SOLD

Blue Cotton Summer Dress

This full length dress made of light weight cotton has an elastic waist area that tends to make it fit easily.  It will look best on a woman who wears a size 8 to 12. $35

Orange Cotton Dress

This full length dress made of light weight cotton has an elastic waist area that tends to make it fit easily.  It will look best on a woman who wears a size 8 to 12. $35

Carved Wooden Elephant

This relatively large carving of an elephant is a lively representation of a universally appealing form. The recognized majesty of the animal is a symbol of all Africa. $125

Nativity Scene

This hand carved Nativity scene features 11 figures all gathered to celebrate the arrival of the Christ child. Each figure is carved of a single piece of wood and its durability allows for the easy interactive devotion of the young. $150

Large and small Butterflys

Artists are naturally drawn to the flora and fauna that surround them. The tropical climate of West Africa is home to many beautiful butterfly species that inspired this stylized colorful rendition in wood.  18″- $35, 7.5”- $20

Leopard Skin Cotton Dress

This cotton skirt and top were made by a seamstress in Grand Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire.  It is about a size 10.  $50

Blue Bird Fabric

In West Africa many fabric motifs carry a meaning. This fabric means “My money flies away like a bird.”  Six yards of this fabric would be sufficient to make table cloths, placemats, bedspread, curtains or clothing. $100

Orange/Blue Fabric

Six yards of this vibrant GTP cotton fabric, made in Ghana, can be used to make table cloths, placemats, bedspread, curtains or clothing. $60

Musical Instrument

This small portable gourd finger instrument, known as a finger harp or thumb piano, can provide entertainment for young or old. $12

Comb

Hair and grooming have always played an important role in the cultures of Africa.  In many African societies, ancient and modern, the hair comb symbolises status, group affiliation, and religious beliefs, and is encoded with ritual properties. The handles of combs are often decorated with objects of status, such as the human figures shown here, and motifs that reference nature and the traditional spiritual world. $30

Teal Scarf/Shawl

A beautiful teal scarf/shawl with a floral woodblock of highly contrasting chartreuse. $25

Kente Cloth

Kente cloth is a Ghanaian textile that is traditionally linked with royalty, especially among the Ashanti and the Ewe peoples. Kente is woven as similar sized narrow strips, which are joined to form a large piece of cloth. These beautiful fabrics are wrapped and draped into the ceremonial garb of the chieftains and are still seen and worn for state and other important functions around the world. Today both men and women wear Kente cloths at very special occasions or celebrations. 66 inches by 51 inches, $125

Mud Cloth Dress

This heavy garment made in the north of Ghana can be worn by a man or woman.  It is a “One size fits all” item. $70

Rectangular Batik Tablecloth

This heavy red and yellow batik tablecloth is 88 inches by 56 inches. The central area is painted with female figures making fufu shown with palm trees and small huts.  The quality of the batik in Cote d’Ivoire surpasses that of most other African countries and does not seem to be available outside of West Africa. $115

Purple/Green Batik Tablecloth

This heavy batik fabric tablecloth from Cote d’Ivoire is 90 inches by 62 inches. The central area has a large triangular motif with fish as well as fish on the deep border and on each of 8 napkin. The quality of the batik in Cote d’Ivoire surpasses that of most other African countries and does not seem to be available outside of West Africa.  $130

Red Necklace with Brass Beads

This necklace consists of multi strands of small red seed beads with three large old brass filigree beads. 26 inches $25  SOLD

There will be more jewelry, one more Nativity Scene and a few more items at the Auction on May 12, 2018 at the Mt. Baker Theater in the Encore Room at 5:30 p.m.

Cote d’Ivoire Hippo.

This lovely carved hippo, made from a solid block of wood, is carved to a realistic look, then smoothed and polished. 4.5 ” tall. 13″ long. estimated value $80 

Bamana Antelope Headdresses

These two Bamana headdresses of male and female antelope forms are called ci wara and are beautifully carved, covered in intricate hammered metal and most likely used in annual farm celebrations. Carved to honor the original mythical being, a divine being half animal half mortal, the male and female ci wara serve as the multi faceted metaphors for the elemetal forces upon which all humanity depends.    23″ and 21″ long. value estimate: $475

Djenne Terra Cotta Figures

These two pensive figures, one male and one female, are like the Djenne terracota forms historically found in the Inland Delta of the Niger River area in Mali. Unlike wooden artifacts, these fired clay forms do not deteriate in the humid climate of West Africa and thus could be quite old.  7″ tall, 13″ wide (both together) value estimate: $450

Red Elephant mask

This large double ended elephant mask is very commanding and undoubtedly made for the tourist market. Elephant depictions are among the best known, most flamboyant works of art from Africa and provide license for individual interpretation of the form. Historically elephant images were percieved as alter egos of the kings.  30″ by 9.5″,  value estimate: $600

Senufo Bird

This small carved standing bird is most often thought of as a hornbill but the species is unimportant. It represents the first ancestor of the human race or alternatively, “Mother of the Poro Child” and is used in the final rites of the Senufo Poro initation ceremonies for young men entering adulthood and indicates the authority of the elders.               11 inches tall, value estimate: $80

Eight String Kora

It has been said, “A Kora can calm the world down.” This unique, traditional, African instrument is made of a calabash, covered in a goat skin.  The sound quality is much like a harp  as well as the manner in which it is played. The musician holds the Kora on the hand posts and plucks the open strings.  31″ by 12″, value estimate: $300

Baule Wedding Container

This beautiful carved ceremonial container with lid was used for a presentation of gifts to the family of an intended bride. The carved figures, as with all Baule figural work, represents the ideal of human form and elements. 16.5” tall, value estimate: $750

 Congolese Nkisi figure

This Nkisi sculpture demonstrates the design criteria of all such forms. The dominate feature shows the belly region open and often the area of concentrated penetrations. The entire figure is draped with containers made of ceramic vessels, gourds, animals horns and shells, objects that can contain spiritually-charged substances. Each nail or metal piece represents a vow, a signed treaty, and efforts to abolish evil. Ultimately, these figures most commonly represent reflections upon socially unacceptable behaviors and efforts to correct them. The connection between the spirit world and the earthly world is constant across many tribes and cultures of Africa. The intercession of the spirit world provides substantiation and weight to leaders looking to settle disputes and enforce the rule of law within a society. When seeking aide from the Nkisi, the power would be activated with a knife stab or nail being driven into the vital parts with one interpretation viewing them as offerings for benefits received or to pass on a complaint to an enemy thought to have initiated harm. 18.5 ” tall, value estimate: $600

Korogo Mud Cloth

This Senufo mud cloth depiction of three masks, includes the dancer as well as the costume and headpiece of the tradtional figures being represented. The fabric is woven on a backstrap loom in strips, sewn together and then painted. Historically this painting was done with mud. Today, the painting is made with ink. These paintings are very traditional crafts that originate in Cote d’Ivoire. This extremely large piece is professionally framed and ready to hang. These mud cloths are currently fashionable though usually seen in smaller forms.  61.5 ” by 43.5″, value estimate: $800

Taureg Bowl and Staff

This Taureg bowl comes from the Taureg people in Mali. It is incised with the typical geographic motifs found in their work as is the carving of the staff. The Taureg are a nomadic people and this bowl would have been used to hold foodstuffs. It is easy to imagine this staff, stuck into the sand serving people at the end of the day. For modern use, we have provided a stand of welded steel. These items are increasing difficult to find as modern politics plays its role in the region. 47″ high, estimated value: $525

Dan/Kran Spirit Speaker Mask

This mask shows the influence of two stylistic traditions, that of the Kran and the Dan, both from the regions of Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia. The high rounded forhead is evident of the Dan, while the triangular eyes and cheek protrusions show the influence of the Kran. The unique protruding mouth is likely an indication of the magical powers imbued by the spirit speaking. The small figure mounted on top of the primary mask has many attributes of a Nkisi figure with the blinded eyes, and the touch point in the chest cavity as well as the treasures hanging at the waist. 24″ high, estimated value: $550

Ashanati Village Queen Mother’s Chair

This Ghanian Village Queen Mother’s chair is a symbol of the authority of the Queen Mother. Her role is to monitor the social conditions of the village such as nominating a new village chief when one has abdicated or died . This powerful village figure in the Akan culture can equal or even surpass that of the current male village chief. A good example of a Queen Mother surpassing the authority of the chief is that of Queen Yaa Asantewa when at the turn of the century she led the Ashanta against the British in the War of the Golden Stool. 23″ high by 16″ wide, estimated value: $600