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Re-TheorizingIndigenousAfricanArtandAestheticsforAfrican...
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Artisthemeansthroughwhichhumansexpress,codify,transmit,preserveand
instructsubsequentgenerationsinideas,culturalitemsandmodesofexistenceof
society.Itisameansofdocumentingandpreservingthememoryofhumansas
culturalbeings,deliberatelyitemizingtherarefiedandoftenineffableelementsof
existence.3
CorroboratingBewaji,Aligoesontoaddthatartiscommonly“usedtorefer
tocraftsandspecialworksofartliketheartofbuilding,sculpture,architecture,
painting,music,dancingandthelike.”4
Aesthetics(fromtheGreekword:aesthesis-‘perception’),ontheotherhand,
hasbeendescribed,andrightly,asthestudyofman’ssensoryknowledgeofthe
beautifulanditsexpressioninartisticformsincontradistinctiontologicwhichis
concernedmainlywiththeknowledgeacquiredthroughreason.5
Butitisimportantforustonotethattheconcernsofartandaestheticsarein-
terwoven.Artisticexpressionsinitsvariousdimensionssuchasvisualart,literary
art,theatricalart,weavingart,creativephysicalart,culturalartandtechnological
artifactsaregivenexpressionthroughaestheticswhichservesasthebasisfordeter-
miningtheirrelevancetohumansandthesocietiestheyfindthemselves.
IthasbeendifficulttocreatetheappropriatespaceforAfricanartandaesthetics
inthehistoryofthoughtduetothecolonialexperience.Thecolonialencounter
madeAfricanartandaestheticsaninferiorenterprisewithintheEuropeangaze.
ThistendencycontributedtotheslowdevelopmentofAfricanartanditsplacein
development.ItisinthisveinthatCorneliusOyelekeAdepegbapositsthat“the
studyofAfricanarthasbeenbasedontheethnicoriginsoftheobjects,andthe
word‘tribes’or‘tribal’hasoftenbeenusedtodescribethetraditionalartofthe
continent.”
6
AdepegbaisoftheviewthatthisconceptionofAfricanarthasan
imperialisticconnotation.
WhatthenarethefeaturesofAfricanart?OnemaystartbynotingthatAfri-
canartisholistic,multifacetedwiththegoalofreconcilingtheAfricanwithhis
environment.WhileAfricanartsharessomeofthecommoncharacteristicfeatures
ofallartsuchastheformalnatureofartwhichpresupposessomedetachmentas
popularizedbyImmanuelKant,thatis,todetachourselvesfromthecontentof
artorwhatisrepresented.7Thefocusonthecontentofanartobjectaswellasthe
efficientortheinstitutionalaspectisveryimportant.
3Bewaji(2013:311).
4Ali(2004:12).
5Kajubi(1980:40).
6Adepegba(2002:1).
7Wingo(2004:425).
