Africa, a continent rich in cultural diversity and traditions, is often celebrated for its unique ability to combine history, art, and personal expression in its various forms. Tribal make-up plays a key role in many of the various groups.
The adornment of the human body involves all aspects of the arts as practiced in Africa. From the elegant makeup and dress of the Wodaabe nomads in Northern Africa, to the bold geometry of Pedi bead work in South Africa, from the vivid red ochre paint that covers Maasai bodies in the East to the sumptuous gold work and fabrics of the Ashanti Kingdom in the West, every corner, every people, every tribe on the African continent brings their own unique vision, energy and execution to their ritual fashions.
Not mere costumes, these garments and cosmetics have deeper power and meanings. They beautify the wearer for courtship and seduction, strengthen social bonds within communities, and convey secret meanings and coded messages about the wearer’s social status, wealth, availability and desires. The ceremonial couture of Africa has been and continues to be a source of deep inspiration for artists and designers worldwide.
This article delves into the fascinating world of body paint traditions in Africa, exploring its historical roots, cultural significance, and contemporary expressions.
The make-up, often in the form of face paint, is used for many different reasons and can signify many different things such as hunting, religious and traditional reasons, military purposes or to scare an enemy. It also functions as social markers, distinguishing boys from men, men from older men, men from women and members of the tribe from outsiders.
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Face paint is usually made out of clay with different hues using dried plants and flowers.
Each color or symbol has its significance.
Symbols are visual keys that have meaning to people with a common heritage around a given symbol. In Africa, where record of the oldest human communities lie, there are many tribal families that use symbols to tell stories and provide information, reminders and lessons.
In West Africa, many symbols are used to convey messages and values within a community. The Akan and the Asante tribes of West Africa both use “Adinkra” symbols. The symbols are found frequently in the West African country of Ghana.
The Significance of Color
Colors play a crucial role in African body painting, with each hue carrying specific meanings:
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- Black: Often used to signify strength, evil, death, and inscrutability.
- Purple: Often restricted to monarchs’ face paintings and is used to signify luxury, wisdom, and passion.
- Yellow: The color often used to denote joy, energy, and warmth.
- Red: Used to refer to danger, boldness, and urgency.
- Grey: Commonly used to mean security, authority, maturity and stability.
- Blue: Denotes peace, calmness, confidence and affection.
Tribe members often integrate images of the plants and animals of the surrounding environments into their paintings.
Tribal art differs depending on a person’s rank in society. The higher you rank, the more elaborate and complicated your face paint/make-up will be.
Body Modifications: Beyond Paint
The body may be altered in ways that are permanent, especially by scarification, or the cutting of scars. The body may be altered in ways that are semipermanent, in the sense that a person is not normally seen in public without certain effects, although they can be removed or adjusted in private. The body may also be altered in ways that are essentially ephemeral.
Among the Yoruba, scarification indicates lineage affiliation. Among Nuba women in The Sudan, it is sometimes a mark of physiological status: patterns indicate such stages as the onset of menstruation and the birth of the first child. Sometimes the body is scarified for the aesthetic value of the patterns, as among the Tiv of Nigeria.
Perhaps the most striking example of body decoration is that of the pastoral Fulani of Nigeria. It reaches its height in the annual gerewol, a beauty contest between men whose faces are painted and who wear metal bracelets, bead necklaces, and head ornaments. The women regularly wear elaborate hairstyles (often featuring golden rings around separate locks of hair) together with a profusion of jewelry.
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The varieties of dress and jewelry found throughout the continent are invariably matters of aesthetic concern, whatever social purposes may also be served.
Here is a table summarizing the meanings of colors in African body paint traditions:
| Color | Significance |
|---|---|
| Black | Strength, Evil, Death, Inscrutability |
| Purple | Luxury, Wisdom, Passion (often for monarchs) |
| Yellow | Joy, Energy, Warmth |
| Red | Danger, Boldness, Urgency |
| Grey | Security, Authority, Maturity, Stability |
| Blue | Peace, Calmness, Confidence, Affection |
Case Studies: Body Art in Different African Cultures
The Southeast Nuba People of Sudan
The Southeast Nuba people of Sudan practiced an extraordinary tradition of bodyart. The aesthetic value of the design and, especially, its ability to enhance the human form, transcend any meaning or ceremonial content in the design.
“Whatever the source of the designs used on the body, the critical factor is that the body must be emphasized, complemented, enhanced. No design or artistic treatment must detract from the presentation of the physical form itself - the chief reason, after all, for the personal art rests in the proper cultural exposure and celebration of the healthy body.” - James C.
And he states that without dependence on symbolic content, “the most meaningful element is the medium on which it is … produced - the human body.
Omo Valley Tribes: Suri, Mursi, and Hamer
Body painting flourishes in the Omo Valley region in Ethiopia and was perfected centuries ago by the Suri, Surma, and Mursi tribespeople in the region whose bodies become walking masterpieces of artistic display.
Body painting is the art of decorating the human body with pigments, natural dyes, or modern paints for ritual, cultural, artistic, or performance purposes. Practiced by indigenous tribes and in contemporary festivals, it serves as a form of self-expression, storytelling, and identity representation, blending tradition with modern artistic innovation.
Rear view of a Himba tribeswoman, named Jongalero, in Namibia.
Himba Tribes of Namibia
The Himba tribes people of northern Namibia in southern Africa are predominately livestock farmers who breed fat-tail sheep and goats but count their wealth in the number of their cattle. Both the Himba men and women wear traditional clothing that befits their living environment in the hot semi-arid climate of the region. Typically this consists of simple, yet fashionably designed skirt-like clothing made from calfskins and sheep skin or increasingly from more modern textiles. They occasionally wear sandals for footwear.
Himba people, especially women, are famous for covering themselves with otjize paste, a cosmetic mixture of butterfat and ochre pigment, which cleanses the skin and protects them from the extremely hot and dry climate, as well as, from insect bites. The cosmetic mixture, often perfumed with the aromatic resin of the omuzumba shrub, gives their skin and dreadlock hair plaits a distinctive orange or red-tinged characteristic.
Nigerian Body Art Traditions
Since Before the invasion of the white man, African body art had existed and was an act of immense significance. The African body art is interwoven with the traditions and culture as well as religion of the African people, and in most cases, serves as a symbol of the transition from childhood to adulthood. These tattoos, as diverse as they are, are rich in meaning and are particular to the different tribes that make up Africa.
Here are a few examples of Nigerian body art traditions:
- Hausa: The menacing crocodile Hausa design. Kada Mai ban Tsoro in Hausa, represents the “dangerous crocodile.” The Kada represents a desire for power, deception, and mischief and is not particularly positive, but has mostly passed a message of strength and valor. These tattoos are found on the most revered ancient warriors, to express their might and strength.
- Yoruba: The Yoruba Kolo tribal body art is a popular design among the Yoruba people. Historically, the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria marks their body with extensive scar tattoos known as kolo. These markings are part of the Yoruba tattoos and symbolize courage and beautification. They are also a means of symbolizing the transition from childhood to adulthood.
- Igbo: The Ichi tribal designs originated from the men of the Igbo tribe. They represent nobility, pride, and respect. Ichi inscriptions are essential to the Igbo tribespeople and are respected members of the society. Before the incursion of Christian missionary activity, Ichi served as a means of protection for those who had facial marks. For instance, they were not prone to abduction for slavery which was rampant at that time. The two types of Ichi designs include Agbaja, distinguished by their moon-like circles and semicircles, and Ndri design, known by sun-like carved lines from the forehead to the chin. The high value placed on ichi also made it a prerequisite for Ozo title-taking in most Igbo communities.
- Wodaabe: Most of the Wodaabe have their faces tattooed. They use razors to cut their faces with charcoal to mark the site. The modifications occur at a young age, with differing subgroups having different patterns on their faces. Wodaabe women dot their temples, cheeks, and lips with geometric tattoos to ward off evil spirits and symbolize beauty.
- Heena: For centuries, women have used henna to adorn themselves, drawing patterns on their hands, palms, and feet, which in many Hausa and Fulani weddings symbolize beauty, purity, rebirth, and youth. Henna also known as “lalle” or “kunshi” and its usage in the northern part of Nigeria has been a part of the culture for at least a thousand years, according to Nigerien archaeologist Djibo Hamani.
- Uri or Uli: Uri or Uli tribal marks are temporary lines that create multiple shapes on female bodies, hands, and legs lasting approximately seven days. Uri tribal tattoos represent royalty, beauty, and culture. Although uli is not directly symbolic, it focuses on the creation of a visual impact and decorating the body of the patron.
- Bini or Edo: The Bini people are also known for their beautiful Iwu body art. The Iwu, drawn by an Owisu (one who sculpts tattoos), symbolizes pride, strength, and beauty, and most importantly serves as a transition to adulthood. Unlike many Nigerian tribes that prefer tattoos done on their face, the Edo people are especially known for markings on the stomach and sides of their patrons. Iwu is drawn by the Osiwu, the traditional surgeon of the Edo society. The traditional body markings consist of seven strokes for males and sixteen for females. The Oba (king) and his male children get only six of these marks while his female children get fifteen marks. That’s one mark less for each of them. Although the Iwu markings signify the maturity of its recipients, it also serves as beautification (for females) and identification.
- Nsibidi: The Nsibidi is an Igbo tattoo that is also quite popular among the Igbo tribe. These patterns and designs were mostly found on the surfaces of pottery, cooking appliances, and other designs in the house, including the design on the hut of those living then. Some were to be tattooed on the bodies of individuals of the opposite sex, for either beautification, identification, protection, and so on.
- Ndom: The Ndom face painting is an aspect of the life and culture of the Efik people of Nigeria. The face and body painting with Ndom among the Efik people symbolizes purity and love. In ancient times, it was a form of self-expression where families develop patterns for themselves and it was recorded particularly for them. Now the painting of the face and body with Ndom is an expression of joy and happiness. It is frequently used on different occasions, such as the birth of a child, wedding ceremonies, festivals, etc.
- ILA: For the Yoruba people, ila or tribal marks can be used in four ways. Identification, religion, beautification, and for healing. And from the early hears of Yoruba existence, they have made good use of this facial body art.
Nigerian Body art was a big part of the Nigerian culture, but after the emergence of Christianity, and Western civilization, most of this practice has lost its place in the lives of Nigerians. For years a lot of Nigerians frowned upon the way and manner in which this practice was shunned away. But In recent years, many people had devised new ways to appreciate this culture. Many have hosted various festivals to appreciate this culture and to teach the intricate art of giving these tattoos, so the culture would not die out. A notable example is the Nka Dioka Cultural Festival, which was reinvented in Neni in 1978 in other to bring back the Ichi culture, and effectively teach It.
What's Good Africa - EP 09 Body Art Moha Veli & Annisa Omar
African Art in the 20th Century and Beyond
Since the groundbreaking exhibitions “Primitivism in Twentieth Century Art” (1984) at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and “Magiciens de la Terre” (1989) at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, art historians and critics have struggled to accommodate contemporary African art within the discourse of modern and African art history.
The rise of globalization and the ongoing African diaspora increased the heterogeneity and multiplicity of allusions characteristic of contemporary African art. Not only did artists work within localized African and diasporic perspectives, but they also experimented with new media, including motion pictures, installation, performance, and other formats once exclusively Western.
The Dak’Art Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar, the Cairo Biennale, the Johannesburg Biennale, the Bamako Biennale, and FESPACO (a forum for African cinema) all served as sites for the unveiling of new, complex, and innovative art forms as well as the introduction of gifted artists to an international audience.
One of the earliest artists to receive international attention was the Kinshasa-based Chéri Samba, whose appearance in “Magiciens de la Terre” brought world attention to urban sign art. Like the painter Tshibumba Kanda-Matulu, also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Samba had no formal training, and his style was improvisational and eclectic.
The pseudoarchitectural structures assembled by Bodys Isek Kingelez, an artist trained in the restoration of masks at the National Museum of Kinshasa (Congo), also received international recognition and appear to echo the impact of Modernism on African architecture.
The sophisticated and abstracted forms of artists Twins Seven Seven and Ben Osawe and the lush and bold canvases of Uche Okeke, all from Nigeria, illustrate the degree of engagement on the part of contemporary African artists with the discourse of Modernism.
The installations of Benin artist Georges Adéagbo, such as From Colonialization to Independence (1999), which employs traditional art forms and elements of visual culture to depict the decolonization process; the striking images of Ethiopian Gebre Kristos Desta, a leading painter, poet, and teacher who studied clerical literature and the religious art of the Eastern Coptic Orthodox tradition before becoming an artist; and the beautiful and evocative abstractions of Kamala Ishaq, from Sudan, reveal the richness and variety of African engagement with this discourse.
Although North Africa has received less attention in international exhibitions, the abstractions of Ahmed Cherkaoui of Morocco-which combine Cherkaoui’s mastery of Islamic calligraphy with his appreciation for the work of Paul Klee-and the striking installations of Ghada Amer of Egypt, which employ textile arts to comment on issues related to female sexuality, underscore the range and multinational focus of contemporary art production.
The pan-African philosophy of Léopold Senghor, who was the first president of Senegal (1960-80) and a proponent of the philosophy of Negritude, is evident in the work of the first generation of Senegalese painters, organized into the École de Dakar.
During the last few decades, South Africa has experienced a florescence of contemporary art production, much of which comments on apartheid (an official policy of racial separation and discrimination from 1948 to the early 1990s) and its aftermath.
In Gavin Jantjes’s work, the conditions of a racially segregated state were directly addressed in silkscreened “cartoons” that juxtaposed bright blocks of colour with the harsh realities of South African life in the apartheid era.
Jane Alexander’s sculptural installation, Butcher Boys (1985), is equally charged: the figures are nude, masked, and immobile, seeming to observe what is wrong in society yet finding no will to act.
William Kentridge’s work in a range of media and Sue Williamson’s powerful set of passbooks in the assemblage For Thirty Years Next to His Heart (1990) are equally evocative and demonstrate the sophisticated installation technique of the contemporary South African artist.
In the realm of photography perhaps no artist is more internationally recognized than Malian Seydou Keïta. His portraits constructed a vision of the residents of Bamako, the capital city of what was then French Sudan, in the 1940s and ’50s as modern, beautiful, and urbane.
Cameroon-born photographer Samuel Fosso explored the genre of the self-portrait by adopting fictitious personas marked by satire and pathos.
The South African photographer Santu Mofokeng created in the exhibition “Black Photo Album/Look at Me: 1890-1950” a striking exploration of history and identity.
Also South African, Zwelethu Mthethwa is known for his brightly colored photographs of people living in poverty in settlements around Cape Town.
In the early 21st century many contemporary African artists created work within diasporic societies in the United States and Europe.
Ouattara Watts, originally from Côte d’Ivoire and now living in New York City, produced striking collages and installations that draw from West African architectural forms and occult signs.
Nigerian-born Iké Udé, also based in New York City, manipulated the texts of popular culture to examine modes of representation. In Cover Girl, for example, he photographed himself in different disguises, creating from these photographs covers for such magazines as Vogue, Mademoiselle, Glamour, Town and Country, and Harper’s Bazaar.
The London-based Nigerian Yinka Shonibare created spectacular installations employing textiles made in so-called traditional styles.
It should be noted that the art that was considered “traditional”-masks, sculpture, ceramics, and the like-continued to be made in Africa at the beginning of the 21st century. The production of tourist art for the West was an important outlet for artistic creativity. It effectively illustrated the continuity in the connection with non-African cultures evident in the Afro-Portuguese ivories created in the 15th century.
Body modifications and body art to many in the beauty world and the fashion industry, have been a good means of beautifying and describing oneself. Like artists, these have used their skin to express diverse emotions and exposed the world to a rare kind of beauty that only lies in the depths of an individual heart. For many regions and countries, tattoos came into existence in the early 1700s and 1800s and were only associated with a kind of people, and mostly in a negative light. It has been a way of identifying ex-convicts, sailors, bikers, and gang members. It was later until later in the 1900s, that body art began to take its rightful place in the art and beauty world.
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