New exhibition examines the meaning and power of African beaded adornments
Gatineau, Quebec, April 14, 2005 — The exhibition Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Adornments will be presented at the Canadian Museum of Civilization until February 26, 2006 [held over until September 10, 2006]. This exhibition examines the artistry, history and meaning of African beaded adornments.
Through the skill of African women, small beads can be powerful tools. Fashioned into jewellery, clothing and other adornments, the beads are more than things of beauty. They can pay homage to ancient traditions, send signals of cultural pride and generate much-needed income.
Beads of Life features 185 objects from Canadian collections. Among them are exquisite pieces of jewellery and items of beaded clothing from South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Botswana, Sudan and Zimbabwe. This is the first time that works of African beadwork scattered throughout various Canadian museum, university and private collections have been surveyed, and a selection brought together for display.
"This exhibition explores the idea of beadwork as a form of cultural expression and personal identity," says Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. "It reveals much about the history of African societies and the strength and resilience of African peoples. The exhibition shows beautiful objects, but — equally important — it contributes to knowledge and collaboration across this country."
Integral to the exhibition are personal testimonies and observations from Canadians of eastern and southern African origin. "This is us; this is our history," says Martha Kuwee Kumsa, a professor of social work at Sir Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Dr. Kumsa, of Oromo (Ethiopia) origin, is one of 12 Canadians of African origin who worked as consultants and research assistants on this exhibition.
Joseph Manyoni, another consultant on the exhibition, was born and raised in South Africa, earned a Ph.D. at Oxford and is now a professor of anthropology at Carleton University in Ottawa. Dr. Manyoni says traditional beadwork was among the cultural symbols suppressed in South Africa by colonialism and apartheid. "Now, there's a considerable resurgence of interest in beadwork as people repossess their lost dignity. It has been reintegrated into the mainstream of South African society and is now regarded as a symbol of pride and part of the aesthetics of being South African."
The beadwork of eastern and southern Africa has roots stretching back to time immemorial. Before the widespread introduction of glass beads from Europe in the nineteenth century, the materials used were taken from nature: plant fibres, animal hides, ivory and shells. For a variety of reasons explored in the exhibition, glass beads eventually supplanted these antecedents and took African adornments in a new direction. But from ancient times to the modern age, the objects themselves have had a cultural importance that goes beyond their artistic value.
The oldest pieces in Beads of Life are from the nineteenth century. The most recent were commissioned for this exhibition. Among the more traditional objects on display is a tobacco box that also serves as a comb, made of horn and dating from the late 19th century. Among the more modern are works incorporating tire rubber and bottle caps.
All of the beadwork in this exhibition comes from Canadian collections. Contributors include the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Provincial Museum of Alberta, the Vancouver Museum, the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the Redpath Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Textile Museum of Canada, the Glenbow Museum, the Université de Montréal and others.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum has published Beads of Life – Eastern and Southern African Beadwork from Canadian Collections, an illustrated book written by the exhibition curator, Marie-Louise Labelle.
Also in conjunction with Beads of Life, the Museum is offering some special public programming, including a guided tour of the exhibition (in French) by the curator on the afternoon of April 22, and a concert that night featuring one of South Africa's most powerful voices of freedom, Lorraine Klaasen. The evening event will include a South African wine tasting. Also scheduled for April 15, 18 and 19 are film screenings offered in partnership with Vues d’Afrique – African and Caribbean Film Festival.
Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Adornments will be open to the public until February 26, 2006, at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
FACT SHEETS
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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