painted bodies of africa - C4 Global Communications

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Introduction
Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher‘s latest work “Painted Bodies
of Africa” explores the fascinating and seductive art of African
body painting, a dynamic activity first performed to attract the
opposite sex, identify oneself from the enemy, and access the
spirit world. Using the skin as a canvas and the earth as a palette, body painting has always been a vital outlet for creative
design.
In one of the most remote corners of Africa, the Omo River
peoples still decorate their bodies from head to toe using
organic colors such as chalk, ocher, and charcoal. Other tribes,
such as the legendary Maasai of Kenya and the Himba pastoralists of Namibia, cover their bodies with red ocher found in
earth rich with iron ore content. For these people, the color red
symbolizes blood and the all-encompassing life force. When
perfumed with fresh herbs and mixed with animal fat, the red
ocher both beautifies and nourishes the skin. Voodoo worshippers in West Africa, who desire to enter the spirit world, cover
their bodies with white kaolin powder considered “food for
the gods.” This pale pigment helps a devotee attain the highly
sought state of possession, whereby a deity may enter his body
and empower him.
Egret Feather Adorning a Karo Clay Hair Bun, Ethiopia
Cover: Karo Courtship Dancers, Ethiopia
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
The African continent reveals the widest range of body decoration in the world. In addition to painting the human form,
“Painted Bodies of Africa” explores the delicate art of henna
popular among Swahili brides in East Africa; the practice of
facial tattooing found among the Wodaabe nomads in Niger;
the ritual scarification of sacred cowhorn patterns among the
Dinka of Southern Sudan; and the decorative scarification of
Karo men and women in Southwest Ethiopia who focus sensual
pleasure on the touch of textured skin.
Body painting is one of the oldest art forms on the African
continent. Evidence of its origins is found in the early African
cave paintings and rock engravings dating back to the Stone
Age. One of the most dramatic examples is found in Chad
and is known as Niola Doa, “the beautiful ladies,” dating back
4,000–7,000 years. In this early engraving, the human body
is decorated from head to toe, a testimony to the powerful
human instinct to beautify the skin.
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Artist Biographies, 2012
Thirty-five years ago American-born Carol Beckwith and Australian Angela Fisher met in Kenya and began a relationship with
the African continent, journeying over 270,000 miles, through
40 countries and recording 150 African cultures.
Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
“We feel privileged to photograph these cultures
that possess a wealth of knowledge that should
be celebrated, shared, and honoured. It is our life
passion to document and create a powerful visual
record of these vanishing ways of life for future
generations.”
The two photographers produced 14 acclaimed books including Maasai (1980), Nomads of the Niger (1983), Africa Adorned
(1984), African Ark (1990), African Ceremonies (1999), Passages
(2000), Faces of Africa (2004), Lamu: Kenya’s Enchanted Island
(2009), and Dinka: Legendary Cattle Keepers of Sudan (2010).
Their defining body of work, the double volume African Ceremonies (1999), is a pan-African study of rituals and rites of
passage from birth to death, covering 93 ceremonies from
26 countries. This publication won the United Nations Award
for Excellence for its “vision and understanding of the role of
cultural traditions in the pursuit of world peace.” Angela and
Carol have been honoured twice with the Annisfield-Wolf Book
Award in race relations for “outstanding contributions to the
understanding of cultural diversity and prejudice”, and won
the Royal Geographical Society of London’s Cherry Kearton
Medal for their “contribution to the photographic recording of
African ethnography and ritual”.
Their latest book, Painted Bodies of Africa (Rizzoli, 2012) is a
Pan-African study of the art of body painting focusing on the
oldest art form of decorating the body, used to attract the opposite sex, establish tribal identity and access the power of the
spirit world.
Aware that traditional cultures in Africa are fast disappearing,
Carol and Angela are working to complete the third volume
of their ongoing study of African ceremonies. Their fieldwork
will cover the remaining traditional ceremonies in the 13 African cultures in which they have not yet worked. Recently they
visited the Royal Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria, to photograph
the 800-year-old Igue Festival. African Twilight is scheduled for
publication in 2014.
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Karo Man Painted for Courtship Dancing, Ethiopia
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Karo Man’s Painted Chest, Ethiopia
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Himba Girl with Ochered Veil, Namibia
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Samburu Warrior with Ochered French Silk Roses, Kenya
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Ochered Maasai Warrior, Kenya
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Swahili Woman Decorating her Hand with Henna, Lamu Island, Kenya
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Henna Painting on Arms and Legs of a Swahili Bride, Lamu Island, Kenya
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Wodaabe Charm Dancer Preparing for the Geerewol, Niger
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Wodaabe Male Charm Dancers, Niger
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Surma Girls Face Painting by the Dama River, Ethiopia
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
Surma Men Painted for Courtship, Ethiopia
© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA
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for the original high-res images.