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Rethinking African Art

Rethinking African Art and Culture as communication tools.

Initiation Ceremonies & Masks:

Nmuo initiation ceremony and also known as Ima nmuo. Translating into “gaining the knowledge of the spirits” or “understanding the spiritual and the mystic world”. As one who attends school or church has a broader vision of life through instructions, and inspirations, so was the initiation into the nmuo society, all of the boys participated based on their age. The Igbo culture is a heritage that teaches the respect and value of the creator Chineke, wisdom, environment, family, love of humanity and of other beings seen and unseen. It also, serves as a safe guide to the youths who must replace the older ones when they are gone to the after-life. It represents continuity by showing life in its fullness through several disciplinary lessons about humanity, love and life and death. The system links them together so that each initiated individual may learn how to endure delays in success, broaden his mind about the impact of the cause and effect principles and his thoughts are elevated. Before the ceremonies, the candidates are almost blindfolded; this is not because there are things, which they are not to see rather that no one knows the future, and that no one alters your mind for you but yourself. So as he ascends in his thoughts, the veils of illusions falls off his eyes, and so does his achievements ascend as well.

Most of the lessons delivered are geared towards discussing the interactions between fathers and sons, the connections sons and mother shared, the challenges and struggles when a young adult might be deviating from the norms of the society, the shames involved and how to guide the youths going through these kinds of challenges with connecting them with the right mentor. Then an age grade system became the solution to solving most of these challenges. Ima Ogbor or Boys to Men. The culture is then structured around age grade system even in this 21st century. The age grade system within the societies of Africa was designed to guide young adults transition into manhood. In most African villages, the culture is structure in age groups system, just like in the western schools. The idea of the system is that often, there are conflicts between fathers and their sons, and young men and the authority figures in the communities. Thus, these groups are used to instruct and to provide support for the fathers and their sons during some certain challenging periods. One is considered to be matured at the age of 21, therefore all the boys who turned 21 years old at the same time will be gathered and organized in an age grade system, this system provides education, guidance, support and to help them develop some leadership skills and other responsibilities. Each group is assigned a mentor or a teacher who will also be acting as a parent to the group. However, not all the boys or young adults in the group will successfully gained the wisdom associated with the intentions of the group. There are three kinds of personalities of boys in these groups, there are those who will follow instructions and do well as they develop their personal goals and characters and there are others who are more defiant and oppositional and will rebel against any instructions and even rebel against the elders in the villages as well all who are trying to help them, however, rebelling against these elders are minor issues. The worst kind are the situations were a young adult from respectful homes and environments, brought up by a wise and good dad where the son has committed himself in wasting his life in trying and doing anything that will bring disgrace and shame on himself and to his family, especially to his father, and the kid tries repeatedly, over and over again to be oppositional to anything good but produces a behavior that is consistent with an expression of desire to belittle or bring shame to his dad, and ultimately destroy him. This kind of experience are the most painful as the dad watch his loved son abandon himself for a life endowed with crime; perhaps the kid does not have the part of his brain wiring that understands love and compassion or maybe that brain part is not developed. The responsibility of the age grade system is to help identify and guide these kids as they wander about towns struggling to transform themselves.

The initiation system is simply a place and a process of inspiration. It is a place where people go to learn the traditions of the land, the local law, it is a place where the elders go to bury their thoughts, their memories, their philosophies in the hearts of the youth.

The participants come there to increase their wisdom, in this type of school there are no books nor is anything written all the instructions are passed on through the oral story telling tradition, using proverbs, signs and symbols.

People learn from each other, in most cases all are teachers and all are students. You are there to participate in a serious meditation absorb as much knowledge as possible, the process is more important than the ceremonies itself.

Learning how to love, deepen your spirit and also how to endure delays in success are the most important lessons of all, the elders who have been there before will assist the youth understand how to develop and dedicate to the act of simple living.

The process is one that creates certain mixed feelings of fear and anxiety, a sensation of deep dark happiness that will finally reveal a feeling of higher freedom when all the doom of hunger and fear is over. In fact, the process of learning through the oral tradition individual gained information that contained much that was true; what was false about the traditions and values was later added as written documents by the colonists in about two centuries ago or less.

Nze.Oscar O. Mokeme The Founding Director for the Museum of African Culture. Portland Maine USA