African spirits at the Maschio Angioino

We are still here, in Naples, and this time we are dealing with a very interesting exhibition, hosted in the Maschio Angioino. We are talking about Sacred Spirits. The Songye in the Palatine Chapel, the most important exhibition ever made on the traditional sculpture of the Songye, an African ethnic group settled in a large territory of the central region, south-eastern quadrant, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The exhibition can be visited free of charge until January 15, 2023 from Monday to Saturday from 10 to 17 and on Sunday from 9.00 to 12.30. The following information is taken from the online magazine Africa - The magazine of the True Continent (https://www.africarivista.it/sacri-spiriti-larte-dei-songye-in-mostra-a-napoli/208621/): The art of the Songye has never been presented in Italy and even in the world the exhibitions expressly dedicated to this population have been very rare. Yet, very few sculptures like these (Mankishi in the local language) embody the imagery of African creativity. They are what we once called "fetishes" and today, in less negative terms, "power figures" or "cult effigies". These are magical-protective objects resulting from the joint intervention of sculptors, blacksmiths and ritual specialists who activated them through songs, prayers and the addition of animal and natural elements. The homogeneous nature of the objects on display (over 130 works) offers the opportunity to grasp some of the constituent elements of the essence of these artifacts, as well as their location in the communities of origin. For our part we can say that these wooden figures have exercised a certain fascination on us, mixed with a vague restlessness; therefore the best thing to do is to share these feelings with you, showing you our photos:

The metal nails planted especially on the face and trunk could represent the buboes of smallpox widespread in the Songye territory between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century:

As highlighted on the Venerdì supplement of the Repubblica newspaper of 28 October, the curators of the exhibition provided detailed information on the different styles of the sculptures and on the "masters" and the relative "workshops" who made them, without neglecting their social and cult importance, the connecting role between humans and gods. On the other hand, exhibiting these mankishi in such a significant place of Italian culture as the Palatine Chapel, whose walls were also frescoed by Giotto, reveals the intention of considering them primarily works of art.