Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa

This program will explore the practice of masking as it appears across the vast and culturally diverse Congolese region of Central Africa, where masks function as performance objects, works of art, educational tools, and ritual objects of devotion. Utilizing selected objects from VMFA’s Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa exhibition, masks will be examined and…

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Mirage on the Sahara? Timbuktu and Mali, Yesterday and Today

Often thought of as a “verbal mirage” meaning the farthest place imaginable, Timbuktu was essential to the economy of broad stretches of West Africa for many centuries as well as a noted center of learning where books and manuscripts were valued as much as gold. Today, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been thrust into a dramatically pivotal role in Mali’s sudden struggle with democracy and partition. This talk will survey the stunning history of art and culture in Mali and Timbuktu from the earliest times to today.

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