Cloth, Dress and Art Patronage in Africa. - book review

African Arts, Spring, 2002 by Anne M. Spencer

Judith Perani and Norma H. Wolff

Berg Publishers, Oxford and New York 1999. North American distributor: NYU Press. 217 pp., 19 b/w illustrations. $55 hardcover, $19.50 softcover.

The series Dress, Body, Culture, edited by Joanne B. Eicher, seeks to articulate, through an interdisciplinary approach, connections between culture and dress. Cloth, Dress and Art Patronage in Africa is a natural choice for inclusion. Judith Perani and Norma H. Wolff have a combined total of over fifty years of research experience focused on the Nupe, Yoruba, and Hausa. Here they set out to untangle the complex web of relationships between cloth and dress and those who patronize these arts, drawing on their extensive knowledge of Nigerian dress.

The book's underlying premise is that there must be a processual approach to understanding the dynamic nature of the interaction between patron, artist, and art. The authors demonstrate that patronage indeed involves more than an economic exchange, as both artists and art patrons are decision makers. It is out of this dynamic that cloth and dress traditions unfold.

The book is multifaceted in its approach, combining history with art and social historical perspectives, in keeping with the goals of the series. Although the focus is on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the discussion includes the antecedents of weaving traditions. The authors have admirably pulled together many strands of research on Hausa, Yoruba, and Nupe cloth traditions to give a full picture of these textile arts at the end of the twentieth century.

Perani and Wolff's orderly presentation begins in part 1, with an examination of the impact of patronage on African arts. In individual chapters the authors discuss patronage as a generator of cloth and dress; cloth and dress as a mirror of culture in Africa; art patron roles; and leadership arts in state societies. They draw extensively on the research of other scholars to illustrate their themes. The rich diversity of sources works to good effect in the discussion of the variety and complexity of patron roles. These roles include self-motivated individuals, kin group members, non-kin collectives, political and social elites, religiously motivated individuals and groups, traders and foreigners. Among the ethnic groups or regions selected to exemplify these roles are the Asante, Kuba, Fante, Benin kingdom, Okpella, Isoko, Baule, Igbo, Fon, and Lamu Island. The authors bring their discussion up to the present with a look at the emergence of tourist art, including an example of "Peace Corps gara," developed through direct artist-patron interaction.

Part 2, on the development of Hausa, Nupe, and Yoruba cloth and dress traditions, provides an in-depth look at these three areas over time, enriched by the authors' extensive field research. As the focus narrows to a particular region with many shared traditions, Perani and Wolff are able to delve more deeply into the connections between art patronage, leadership and trade. In chapter 5 they discuss the historical context and how the Yoruba Oyo Empire and the Fulani Sokoto Caliphate contributed to artistic patronage. "Patterns of Production and Consumption in 19th Century Luxury Cloth Traditions" (chap. 6) focuses on two specific cloths--caliphate cloth and yan kura cloth both luxury textiles that were part of an extensive long-distance trade fueled by leader patronage and market demand.

"Continuity and Change in Twentieth-Century Cloth Traditions" (chap. 7) explores the impact of British colonial rule on the Hausa and Yoruba textile traditions as each was forced to come to terms with new raw materials and technologies. This discussion reveals the factors that contributed to the decline of Hausa and Nupe cloth by the end of the century in contrast to Yoruba aso-oke cloth, which was as vital as ever. The book concludes with an overview of the fashionable world of the Yoruba. The authors demonstrate how the success of aso-oke is tied to strong Yoruba patronage. Weavers deal directly with their clients and are open to innovation. The success of "Super Q," a hybrid cloth, reveals how influences from outside Nigeria have been embraced by the Yoruba and how the patron can play a crucial role in shaping the direction of artistic production.

The authors' analysis of the key role of the art patron, as seen in the case studies of Hausa, Nupe, and Yoruba cloth traditions, supports their thesis that one must look at all aspects of life--social, economic, religious, and political--to understand fully how artistic transformation occurs. By doing so it becomes clear that "In the African context, patrons are as important as artists, if not more so, in the creative transformation of art traditions" (p. 190).

The book's appeal is to a scholarly audience with a basic understanding of African history and textile arts. The only map provided is too general to be of assistance and is not especially relevant to the text. A map or maps showing the trans-Saharan caravan routes, the extent of the Sokoto Caliphate, and the Oyo Empire would have been helpful. In addition, the location of key trading centers and centers of artistic production would have aided readers not familiar with west African geography.