Empowering Leaders
Africa has been rich in arts supporting leadership and governance from precolonial times to the present. Whether in the context of military states, royal confederacies, sacred chieftaincies, or councils of elders, the arts have served to uphold and strengthen those in power and their domains. In turn, rulers have often been patrons of the arts with the volume of artistic production dependent on their ability to marshal ample resources.
This section explores particular examples of African leadership to demonstrate that political power can be defined only in specific cultural contexts. It may, for example, reside in a king’s quick wit and oratorical wisdom, or it may arise from a ruler’s link to the spirit world. Sometimes power results from a delicate balance between a ruler and other branches of government. In such a case the arts can serve to ensure social control and justice.
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X2006.4.1 Elephant Head Crest
X2006.4.1 Elephant Head Crest
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Object Name: Elephant head crest
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Oku or Babanki peoples
Place of Origin: Northwestern Grassfields, Cameroon
Date/Era: 19th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, copper, alloy, iron alloy
Dimensions: L: 118.0 cm, W: 46.0 cm, H: 25.5 cm (L: 46.4 in, W: 18.1 in, H: 10.0 in)
Credit Line and accession number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mary-Louise Fantel in memory of Ernest Fantel.
Accession Number: X2006.4.1
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X63.405 Pipe Bowl
X63.405 Pipe Bowl
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Pipe bowl
Bamum peoples, Cameroon
19th-20th century
Terra-cotta
X63.405; Gift of Mary Hastings Bradley.Quick View -
X64.86 Beaded headdress for elephant mask
X64.86 Beaded headdress for elephant mask
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Beaded headdress for elephant mask
Bamileke peoples, Cameroon
Before 1880
Fiber, textile, beads, wood
H: 47.00 cm (18.5 in), W: 43.50 cm (17.1 in), D: 46.00 cm (18.1 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. William Lloyd Davis. X64.86Quick View -
X65.1617 Chief’s stool
X65.1617 Chief’s stool
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Chiefäs stool
Western Grassfields, Cameroon
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood, plant fiber
X65.1617; Gift of the Wellcome Trust.Quick View -
X65.1621 Ceremonial chair
X65.1621 Ceremonial chair
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Object Name: Ceremonial chair
Artist: Unknown
Place of Origin: Central Western Grassfields, Cameroon
Date/Era: Early 20th century
Dimensions: H: 81.5 cm
Medium/Materials: Wood
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.1621
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X65.5813ab Bottle
X65.5813ab Bottle
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Object Name: Bottle
Artist: Unknown
Cultural Group: Bamileke peoples
Place of Origin: Cameroon
Date: 19th century
Dimensions: Total Height: 62.50 cm, H: 53.50 cm, DIAM: 21.00 cm
Materials Used: Gourd, glass beads, textile, felt, thread
Credit Line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust. X65.5813ab
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X65.5815A Palm-wine container
X65.5815A Palm-wine container
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Object Name: Palm-wine container
Artist: Unknown
Place of Origin: Grassfields, Cameroon
Date/Era: 19th century
Dimensions: H: 51 cm
Medium/Materials: Gourd, glass beads, textile, felt, thread, wood, cowrie shells
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.5815A
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X65.5820 Mask (tsesah)
X65.5820 Mask (tsesah)
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Object Name: Mask (tsesah)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Bamileke peoples
Place of Origin: Bamendjo, Cameroon
Date/Era: Late 19th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, paint, iron dowel, plant fiber, plant gum
Dimensions: H: 53.34 cm, W: 47.00 cm, D: 30.50 cm (H: 21 in, W: 18.5 in, D: 12 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.5820
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X65.8228 Collar
X65.8228 Collar
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Collar
Bamum peoples
Cameroon
Late 19th-early 20th century
Brass and copper
Diam: 26.0 cm, D: 1.8 cm (Diam: 10.2, D: .71 in)
Gift of the Wellcome Trust. X65.8228Quick View -
X67.2052 Fly whisk
X67.2052 Fly whisk
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Fly whisk
Bamum peoples
Cameroon
19th century
Raffia cloth, glass beads, horsehair, iron, nails, raffia thread
H: 121.0 cm, W: 10.0 cm, D: 12.0 cm (H: 47.6 in, W: 3.9 in, D: 4.7 in)
Gift of George G. Frelinghuysen. X67.2052Quick View -
X73.529 Elephant mask
X73.529 Elephant mask
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Object Name: Elephant mask and costume
Artist: Unknown
Culture Group: Bamileke peoples
Place of Origin: Cameroon
Date: 19th century
Materials: Burlap, fiber, fabric, seed beads, human hair
Dimensions: H: 118.0 cm, W: 111.5 cm (H: 46.4 in, W: 43.8 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Kitnick. X73.529
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X73.603 Crest mask
X73.603 Crest mask
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Crest mask
Oku peoples
Western Grassfields, Cameroon
19th-20th century
Wood
L: 44.5 cm, W: 27.9 cm (L: 17.5 in, W: 10.9 in)
Gift of Mr. W. Thomas Davis. X73.603Quick View -
X77.935 Crest mask
X77.935 Crest mask
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Crest mask
Buffalo
Cameroon
Oku peoples
19th-20th century
L: 31.70 cm, H: 27.00 cm (L: 12.4 in, H: 10.6 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous Gift. X77.935Quick View -
X78.126 Lineage group mask
X78.126 Lineage group mask
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Object Name: Mask of a lineage group
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Oku or Babanki peoples
Place of Origin: Western Grassfields, Cameroon
Date/Era: 19th-20th century
Medium/Materials: Wood
Dimensions: L: 27.5 cm, H: 43.5 cm (L: 10.8 in, H: 17.1 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous Gift.
Accession Number: X78.126
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X80.809 Crest mask
X80.809 Crest mask
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Crest mask, bird
Kom or Oku peoples
Western Grassfields, Cameroon
19th-20th century
Wood, kaolin, wire, vegetable fiber
H: 19.3 cm, W: 23.0 cm, D: 56.0 cm (H: 7.6 in, W: 9.1 in, D: 22.0 in)
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Melvin Silverman. X80.809Quick View -
X82.569 Elephant mask
X82.569 Elephant mask
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Elephant mask
Bamileke peoples
Cameroon
20th century
Beads, cotton, wood
H: 150.0 cm, W: 71.5 cm, D: 6.0 cm (H: 59.1 in, W: 28.1 in, D: 2.4 in)
Anonymous gift. X82.569Quick View -
X83.968 Leader mask
X83.968 Leader mask
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Leader mask
Cameroon
Kom peoples (?)
Wood, pigment, bast, cord, hair, encrustation
19th century
L: 22.3 cm, H: 37.5 cm, D: 16.5 cm (L: 8.7 in, H: 14.7 in, D: 6.4 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous Gift. X83.968Quick View -
X86.3696 Mask of a lineage group
X86.3696 Mask of a lineage group
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Mask of a lineage group
Cameroon
Wood and mixed media
19th century
L: 22.9 cm, H: 32.0 cm, D: 28.0 cm (L: 9.0 in, H: 12.5 in, D: 11.0 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous Gift. X86.3696Quick View -
X91.410 Drinking horn
X91.410 Drinking horn
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Drinking horn
Bamum peoples
Cameroon
19th century
Horn and pigment
H: 29.5 cm, W: 13.5 cm, D: 9.5 cm (H: 11.6 in, W: 5.3 in, D: 3.7 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Peter J. Kuhn. X91.410Quick View -
X92.29AB Male and female figures
X92.29AB Male and female figures
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Object Name: Male and female figures
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Bamileke peoples
Place of Origin: Bangwa, Cameroon
Date/Era: Late 19th to early 20th century
Dimensions: H (male): 97 cm; H (female): 87 cm
Medium/Materials: Male: wood; female: wood, hair
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Helen and Dr. Robert Kuhn.
Accession Number: X92.29ab
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