New African Masquerade at the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts

Idem Ikwo Ekpe Masquerade Ensemble
by Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Efik Culture, Nigeria 

I have long been intrigued by African masks. In fact, I have a small collection from a trip to Tanzania many years ago. While they are visually interesting, they don't hold a candle to the masquerade costumes now on display at the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts. Talk about a "wow" of an exhibit. 

The exhibit was mounted by the New Orleans Museum of Art in partnership with the Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar, Senegal. The signage noted that the creators of the costumes were involved in the development of the show, which is not always the case. Without the artists' participation, concerns of cultural appropriation could be leveled. Instead, the exhibit is a true celebration of their work and cultures. With that nugget of information in hand, we headed into the show. 

My favorite costume in the exhibit was this ensemble by Idem Ikwo Ekpe Masquerade. (It was a hard choice.) I love the raffia collar (the "mane") and ankle cuffs. The symbols on the mane represent Oku Akama, or the Destroyer. Oku Akama is a level in the Ekpe society in which there are only male members. They use force to challenge wrongdoing, but do so judicially. The foliage the figure holds is from the oboti tree and is used in purification rites. The way the leaves extend from the figure's hand represents the striking paws of the forest leopard or lion spirit. All in all, the costume makes for an intimidating figure.  

Tso Scream Mask by Herve Youmbi
and other Cameroonian artists 

Then there was this terrifying costume, which made me think of Munch's "The Scream." I wasn't far off. The reference instead is to the Ghostface character in the Scream movies. (Click here if you, like I, have not seen those flicks.) 

Before creating this costume, Youmbi received the permission of tribal elders to the incorporation of this iconography. By getting the elders' approval, the masquerade moved beyond the commercial. In fact, this specific masquerade was used in tribal ceremonies before becoming a part of the exhibit. 

Having done a shallow dive into the Ghostface character, the appeal of using him as a model for this costume is still unclear to me. In the movies, Ghostface is a sadistic killer. In real life, members of this society have the job of enforcing traditional rules and customs and supporting the king. So the Cameroonian character is justice oriented. I can't quite figure out the reference in a way that's positive, so let's move on to the rest of the costume. 

The elephant-like appearance of the mask and lizards such as the one on the top of the hat, for lack of a better word, indicate the role of mediator, especially between the living and the dead. Got it. The horsetalk whisk near the left hand of the figure is also an integral part of the costume. Whisks like this one are used in rituals that celebrate bravery and victory. It also gives me a bit of a fright. Time to move on to something a bit friendlier...

"Woman Man Tote" figure
by Sheku "Goldfinger" Fofanah

I'll leave you with a work made from Sheku "Goldfinger" Fofanah's "Woman Tote Man" series. Apologies for the poor quality of the photo. The detail in this costume is mindboggling. Like most -- if not all -- of the costumes in this exhibit, its creation was a collaborative effort. 

What I particularly like about Fofahan's costumes is that they celebrate the role and power of women in West African society. If you look carefully, you'll see that there is a man riding on top of the female figure. His reliance on her is physical as well as emotional. Very progressive! 

With that, I'll leave you with an exhortation to see the exhibit if you're in the area. It runs through January 3rd and would be a terrific outing if you have company visiting over the holidays. If you do go, don't miss the video, which shows some masquerade in action. 

For more on the exhibit (including some great images), click here and here. Thanks to the St. Pete MFA for bringing the show to our area.