Baga : Mémoires Religieuses

This book offers a reflection on cultural transmission and its mechanisms in Africa. The Baga of Guinea-Conakry were once talented mask carvers and powerful ritualists known for their male initiation societies. Dimba, a colossal wooden female bust, and the Bansonyi serpentine mask, among others, are testament to their religious history and are now among the masterpieces of African art. 

With the arrival of Islam and Catholicism, these societies of maritime Guinea have been profoundly transformed, but they also remain heirs to their past. In the absence of initiations and sacred forests, many elements of the ritual edifice of yesteryear have persisted to this day. Throughout the pages of this book, the reader is led to explore the past uses of Baga objects, but also what remains today of the heritage of these coastal populations.

Exhibition. Geneva, Barbier-Mueller Museum, 17 October 2013 - 30 March 2014