Mémoire Moba

Situated in the far north of Togo and Ghana, Moba country first appears as a plateau cut by numerous valleys, before merging into the immense Voltaic plain. The Moba occupy this region of wooded savannah, dotted with rocky hills dominated by the baobab tree. Moba society is essentially rural; its habitat is scattered around a main dwelling consisting of an enclosure delimited by a series of circular huts built of banco and thatched. This ethnic group belongs to the Gourma group, which has migrated from Burkina Faso in successive waves.

From 1991 to 2023, Pierre Amrouche travelled the length and breadth of Moba country, collecting documents and photos that have given rise to this book, a veritable compendium of the culture. It distinguishes three types of anthropomorphic sculpture, all referred to as tchitchiri, each with a specific function. The style is easily identifiable, as it varies little and is characterised by powerful, abstract sculpture, all long vertical lines.