Perles d’Afrique #1 et #2 – Les arts du perlage et de la ferronnerie

From 23 to 26 May 2019, the Gacha Cultural Space et the Jean-Félicien Gacha Foundation will take part in the ‘Révélations’ fair, the biennial international Arts fair, held at the Grand Palais in Paris. Two large-format works created within the Foundation’s workshops are presented.  

Igénie Nomba and Gilbert Ouembe, both workshop managers will also provide some insight into their works.

Podcast #1 : Igénie Nomba, the art of beading

Duration : 3 min 14 s

Realization : Bruno Reguet

> Listen and share on Spotify : https://spoti.fi/2LgPfu1

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Transcript : 

« Let’s say that it happened like a love story, and I didn’t even know it was called bead. I just saw beaded objects and I loved it, I saw it in traditioal circles.  I  liked it a lot, I very often wanted to touch it. These objects, in my home country, we often talk about mysticism. We were afraid to touch them and so when I discover this workshop in Bafoussam, I thought to myself : so ordinary people could touch the bead. Since that day, I have been working with beads and becoming an expert in beading. In the past, to work with beads, you had to be a craftsman of the King’s court which required you to live in the King’s court. Social class was not important when handling the beads. I listen to religious music when I bead. We bead on all objects , Calabashes, canes, thrones, traditional fabrics, headdresses, sneakers, bracelet, traditional musical instrument, and giant bracelets. We plan to work with white and blue beads  that refer to the colors of our traditional Ndop fabric with the double snake pattern usually used by people of the Bamoun tribe. Oh yes it’s truly a very meticulous job that requires a lot of patience. If you are not patient it will show. From time to time, I think about taking a break from this love story between the bead and me but I cannot do it. I love it so much ! And I think it loves me too. »

Podcast #2 : Gilbert Ouembe, Art of Ironwork

Duration : 3 min 09 s

Realization : Bruno Reguet

> Listen and share on Spotify : https://spoti.fi/2LgPfu1

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Transcript : 

« I arrived in Bangoulap on July 27 th, 1998, still very young, even though I am not a grown-up myself today. I worked, skated, and did some shopping. However I have gradually realized that there is something I need to develop. I always felt it, that I had to to something. I felt like I was creating, but I didn’t know what. It is necessary to create, I always felt in me that I must create. Misses Dumas had her great vision too, one day she told me : « Gilbert, you have to do something, chou are capable. »   So that’s where the real encouragement comes from. From then on, the idea of a character came up because I always liked drawings and I always liked get to attend cultural places. Today I am still trying to create characters about Bamilékés. I did a test on this character and it looks good. I keep moving forward, until today I don’t even find myself anymore because I have done so much. There are senior leaders, there are notables, warriors, I mean. And their exit is solemn because when you see a character like this one, the exit is so solemn because you don’t do a random ceremony. It is true that generally when you see all these characters dresses in the Ndop, the elephant mask, big  special bracelets, belts, merits it is not random. There are senior leaders who wear it, deputy heads, great notables and only because they are deserving. Even if you are the richest, you’ll never wear this without being deserved. The Fo’o! The name that I can give it is  « The King! », Fo’o !  Fo’o, If you have to say in French « His Majesty the King », if you have to say in (local)  language Fo’o language, everything that is Fo’o, in the west means « King », when we see bells everywhere under his mask it is symbolizes his wealth, that means  he is rich, a happy man, a happy king. It can accumulate bells everywhere, be exceptional, exceptional. »