Event Details

Since the 14th century the Baga have been living along the coast in Guinea Conakry on the western tip of Africa. They were subjected to repeated attacks by the peoples of the region, at the end of the 19th century by the French, and in 1958 power was transferred to a Muslim-Marxist leadership. The new government forbade religious ceremonies, and ritual art was systematically destroyed; Many Baga members converted to Islam but secretly kept their traditional animistic customs as well as works used in ceremonies. In 1984, rigid discipline loosened and residents, most of them Muslims, were allowed to observe their tradition, as part of "folklore," as opposed to "religion." Collector Michael Weiss has spent about a decade searching for and collecting traditional ritual objects. Works from his collection are displayed alongside sculptures and baguette masks from the museum's collection and the exhibition unfolds the story of the collection, the encounter and the collaboration with the locals.