From Yelwa to Yola

The ethnographic literature of the first half of the 20th century paid hardly any attention to the sculptural traditions of the numerous ethnic groups that populated Nigeria.

The study of Nigerian art only really got going thanks to the pioneering work of William Fagg who published numerous books and exhibition catalogues on this subject as from the 1950s. The focus, however, was on the ancient art of Ife and Benin on the one hand and on the southwestern Yoruba on the other hand. At the end of the sixties a great number of wooden sculptures from the Benue Valley came to light.

Statues and masks of the Igala, Idoma, Jukun, Mumuye and others conquered the African art market. However, the more northern areas of Nigeria remained terra incognita for a long time. It was assumed that no remnants of wooden sculpture could be found in the Islamised areas.

This second, completely revised and expanded edition represents art objects in wood, bronze, stone and terra cotta. They provide insight in the diverse art production of Northern Nigeria, demonstrating the existence of a rich sculptural tradition from Yelwa in the northwest to Yola in the southeast.

After studying Ancient History and Semitic Linguistics, Jan Strybol completed his studies in Art History with a master’s thesis on Chadian pottery in the collections of the Royal Museum of Central Africa at Tervuren. He conducted ethnographical research in Northern Nigeria and Cameroonian Adamawa. He was a member of a team of Flemish scholars (Professor Albert Maesen, Jan Moeyersons, Johnny De Meulemeester and others) who carried out research in the Benue Valley (Nigeria) between 1970 and 1972.

The author is honorary librarian of the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. His publications mainly discuss various aspects of Mumuye society and related ethnic groups as well as Northern Nigerian sculpture.