Africa

Wrapped in Pride: Unit 4: The Pan-African Movement and Kente in the United States

Questions for Thought

  • Can and should a community or culture claim ownership of its art traditions? Why is this an issue today?
  • Can the meaning of an artwork change in use? How? How does an object or an image become a symbol?
  • Are the perspectives of a community important as public projects such as exhibitions and films are developed? Why? How can those perspectives be incorporated with meaning and respect?
  • Does the wearer or user of an artwork have the right to redefine its function and meaning? What is that process about?
  • What does one gain by unifying with others? What might one lose?
  • How can people reconcile the need to maintain their personal and group integrity while being part of a society that honors both diversity and unity?
  • What are the possible connections between art and politics? What role does art play in politics?

 

Wrapped in Pride: Unit 3: The Contexts of Kente Use in Ghana

Questions for Thought

  • What roles can dress play in secular and sacred events?
  • How does dress establish a sense of heritage, a sense of history, a sense of beauty?
  • What shapes family traditions and life passage events?
  • How do the rituals of birth and the burial practices of a society reveal its ' attitudes toward the continuity, or lack thereof, of life and death?
  • How do perceptions of the divine reveal themselves in art?
  • What responsibilities does a community have for a child?
  • What responsibilities should they have?

 

Wrapped in Pride: Unit 2: The Making and Design of Kente Cloth

In the second unit students are introduced to the making of kente cloth and the beauty of its designs.