- Published: December 25, 2021
- Updated: December 25, 2021
- University / College: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Level: Intermediate School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 12
Heroic Africans Before Westernization of Africa, history of heroes was passed through oral narratives and making of sculptors to commemorate the heroes. 1 Woodcarvings were also used in countries such as Nigeria to commemorate their heroes. 2 In the present day, however, it is difficult to connect a sculptor with the hero it represents and thus written history on African heroes is required. It also keeps a large quantity of history that the human memory cannot store. 3 Another way that was adopted of commemorating African heroes was the use of paintings; this was mostly practiced by people in South Africa where they would paint pictorial representations of humans and various landscapes. 4
The history of many African heroes was captured in a sculpture further explained by a narrative. However, unlike Western history, the historical changes in portraits and sculptures are not well developed and thus go unrecorded. 5
Preservation of bodies is another way of remembering heroes in Africa. A good example is mummification of bodies practiced in Egypt. The bodies were placed in tombs and could be accessed. Today, in some countries, bodies of heroes are well preserved and can still be viewed by the people of the country.
Benin is one of the countries that have a good historical conservation of leaders in Africa. They alleged that the center of all thought and wellbeing was the head; this was adopted by the Oranmiyan dynasty. In their sculptures, therefore, the head was made of brass to idolize it. 6 Masks resembling some heroes are also made and worn in historic ceremonies in Nigeria. 7
Preservation of culture in Africa is crucial; it enables Africans to know the people who developed their countries in the early days before colonization and the heroes who fought for freedom. It is essential to converse such written information, oral narratives and sculptors for the future generations’ benefit.
Bibliography
LaGamma Alisa. Heroic Africans. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013).
