Hornblowers formed part of the entourage of the Oba (King) of Benin and acted as heralds announcing his presence at royal ceremonies. They typically used side-blown horns made of ivory.

In the late 16^th century, brass sculptures of hornblowers were placed on the altars in the royal court at Benin to honor an Oba’s ancestors. 

The hornblower wears a woven hat, leopard’s tooth necklet, and kilt with a side bustle to the left and stands in the foursquare position, characteristic of most Benin sculptures. The martial implications of his dress suggest that this is part of the military Isiokuo ceremony, where a mock battle was performed in commemoration of the god of war, Ogun. 

We are privileged to have this magnificent sculpture at Amba Gallery. Visit us now at Kempinski Hotel for more rich African culture!!

Today, let us educate ourselves on the wonderful colors of the kente cloth and their significance!!!

The vibrant colorful weavings of the Kente cloth carry different levels of meaning around the world. For many, kente patterns resonate as a uniquely African or West African feature. Each color, just like each shape and pattern on the Kente, carries a specific meaning to the wearer of the cloth…..

·        Black is the most significant and incorporated color of kente and represents spiritual strength.

·        Red symbolizes blood, political passion, and strength

·        Blue stands for peace, love, and harmony

·        Gold or yellow represents wealth, royalty, and fertility

·        Green means growth, harvest, and renewal

·        White symbolizes purity, cleansing rites, and festive occasions

·        Purple or Maroon represents Mother Earth, healing and protection from evil

·        Pink is associated with the female essence of life; it’s usually worn by women

·        Silver stands for serenity or joy

·        Grey is for healing and cleansing rituals

·        Brown is also the color for Mother Earth and is associated with healing

We have a wonderful collection of these kente cloths. Visit us at the AMBA Gallery and come learn more about our African heritage embedded in art!!!

Woven with reed fiber, the traditional mats were designed to roll into a slender cylinder for portability. 

The Tuareg are an ethnic group found in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal. Although most Tuareg now practices some degree of Islam, they are not considered Arabic.

Tuareg mats are composed of dwarf palm tree fibers, handwoven with leather stripes in reddish-brown earth tone colors. These mats were traditionally used to cover floors and walls for warmth and protection. They are very important in nomadic life. Mats are used in tents as dividers, screens in tents, or just to decorate the interior, for seating as well as praying. 

Visit us at the Amba Gallery and learn more about Africa’s rich cultural heritage!!!  

There are a large variety of drums in Ghana and the Fontomfrom represents a cultural tradition. This is because of its imposing size and symbolic appearance, as well as the musicality of its sound.

The Fontomfrom is an Akan type of talking drum, fashioned after the popular hourglass-shaped talking drum of the 7^th century, mostly used by an ensemble to communicate royal messages in an Ashanti tribal setting. The Fontomfrom ensemble provides music for ceremonies honoring Akan chiefs and royal processions. It is also used to recite proverbs or replicate patterns of speech at most Akan gatherings. 

The Fontomfrom is the largest of the Ashanti drums. It is made sturdy with strong tuning pegs to support the cowhide that covers the drum. The sound is loud off the skin, and the drum’s shape, long with an open bottom, produces a deep resonating tone with high volume to project in open spaces. Impressive in appearance, it works well as a stage piece.  

Prior to the Fontomfrom becoming the ensemble that it is today, it was first introduced into Bonoman by Bonohene Akumfi Ameyaw I and Bonohemaa Owusuaa Abrafi around the 1320s, from North Africa. As they loved dancing and music, they introduced this drum to entertain themselves. Since its procurement, the single, large, Fontomfrom drum has grown to become an ensemble of several drums.  

So …. Come on over and check them out!! 

Among the Akans, the stool is used as a household object and in rites of passage and is considered sacred. The stool is used as a symbol of chieftaincy on special and private occasions and is seen as a symbol of royalty, communicating messages about the nature of leadership.  

The “asesedwa” is believed to have religious importance. It is carved into different sizes, shapes, and designs to communicate a specific message of authority. It highlights the sense of community, social and political life, tradition, and serving as a symbol of unity and solidarity, it is believed to bind the souls of their kinsmen together in both the physical and metaphysical worlds.

Among the Akans, the main significance of the stool is that it is the principal symbol of a chief’s political power and authority. 

We have amazing and distinctive stools in the gallery at an affordable price. Visit Amba gallery for your collection!!

The divination of “mother and child” is important in African art and is often explored in figurative sculptures that express concerns for motherhood, fertility, and continuity. The sculptures are carried out and repeated through similar imagery in various tribes in Africa such as Asante, Yoruba, Senufo, and Dogon. 

To ensure a healthy pregnancy and birth, Africans employ spiritual aids and most mother and child sculptures are meant for protection and invocation of the spirit, to empower a state of natural purity, ceremonial purity, and spirituality; fertility and continuity; healing and power.

Although most mother-and-child sculptures are intended to ensure fertility, some pieces are more concerned with the high status of the female in that matriarchal society. 

Fertility and children are the most frequent themes in the wooden sculpture of the Asante thus, the most numerous works are “akua’ba” fertility figures and mother-and-child figures. In traditional Asante society (19^th to 20^th century), in which inheritance was through the maternal line, a woman’s essential role was to bear children, preferably girls to continue the matrilineage. Sculptured mother-and-child figures show the mother nursing or holding her breast. Such gestures express Asante ideas about nurturing, the family, and the continuity of a matrilineage through a daughter or of a state through a son. 

According to Yoruba belief (19^th to 20^th century), children are blessings from the gods. Before the advent of modern medicine, women petitioned certain deities for fertility and the birth of a healthy infant. The shrines to deities were adorned with sculptured figures representing a mother and child.

Afo maternity figures from Nigeria (19^th Century) are thought to represent an ancestral mother and are owned by individual villages. These figures are brought out of their shrines once a year for the Aya ceremony. At this time, men pray for increased fertility for their wives and make gifts of food and money to the ancestor.

We have several of these amazing maternity sculptures at the Amba Gallery!! Come check them out!!! 

The Bozo Tribe are people from the kingdom of Ghana (Ghana Empire) who settled in Mali around the 10th century. They dedicate themselves almost exclusively to fishing and trade. Their culture and art focus on their interaction with the Niger River. The Bozo are occasionally referred to as the “masters of the river.”

These large fish sculptures are crafted by Bozo artisans in Mali. They are hand-carved from wood, painted, and then antiqued through an underground smoking process.
The piece is a carving with a number of patterns that imitate fabric through the use of bright colors. There is a string mechanism inside the fish that allows the side fins to move. The fish sculptures were used in competitions to find the best performers. 

The fish sculptures pay tribute to the handcrafted animal puppets and masks that are used in the Sogo Ba celebration, where young men in elaborate costumes use dance to entertain and teach.
Though considered to be a form of entertainment, the performances are directed towards a description of the universal morality and imperfections of humans and therefore the need to educate people as regards ethical behavior and how to attain a religious way of life and maintain social and familial stability. 

Yorubaland is found between Ife and the Benin Kingdom. The Yorubas are a large ethnic group of Africa, especially present in Nigeria on the right bank of the River Niger, but are also in Benin, Ghana, Togo, and Ivory Coast where they are called Anango.
Owo is a city in Ondo State, Southwestern Nigeria. Between 1400 and 1600, Owo was the capital of the city-state of the Yorubas.

The ornamental masks are usually inlaid with dark wood or coconut shell to emphasize their boldly incised designs. Other metals are sometimes added as well.