Discover - Learn - Preserve

By Peter Musa, Director of Mus'Art Gallery, Cameroon

After sixteen years of existence to better engage the local population of Kumbo in the life of our museum, Mus'Art Gallery has adopted "Discover, Learn, Preserve" as its motto. The museum and its collection needs to be discovered as a cultural treasure by people of all ages and backgrounds living in Kumbo. People should explore, view and get closer to our museum in order to learn about us, our work and about the arts and how it relates to our culture. The museum is a place of attraction, education and entertainment that the people of Kumbo need to know about.

Mus'Art Gallery is a private art museum which is family driven, this is a phenomenon which is not common. To add to this it holds a lot of woodcarvings by the Musa family (the two main artists Daniel and John are dead). Once people start discovering and realizing that the museum is a learning environment, they will be conscious about preserving our heritage.

"Discover, Learn, Preserve" are important in bringing the local audience more closer to the museum who generally perceive museum's as tourist institutions. Our museum is a cultural institution that needs to be embraced by the people of Kumbo. Our work in preserving heritage for all these years is outstanding. We are dedicated in making Mus'Art Gallery a place of discovery, learning and preservation on our arts and culture.

Traditional Artistry and Craftsmanship: Grass-fields arts in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s

By Peter Musa, Director Mus'Art Gallery, Cameroon

It is quite unusual to find a family interested in heritage preservation as it is the case with the Musa family in Kumbo, Cameroon. The family got involved in the art of wood carving in the early 1970s when Daniel Kanjo Musa (1930 - 1995) an educator and public administrator decided to embark on traditional wood sculpturing as a hobby. His sons John and Peter soon after joined their dad in an exciting journey in the artistic world. Finally in December 1996 the Musa family opened Kumbo's first and only museum Musa Heritage Gallery shortened Mus'Art Gallery. The museum preserves not only the family's artistic creations,  artifacts from the Grass-fields region of Cameroon are also part of the museum's collection.

At a moment that little attention is paid to the preservation of artistic and cultural heritage especially in economic poor nations like Cameroon struggling to become an emerging economy by 2035, Mus'Art Gallery remains a puzzle to many who do not see the importance of such a venture. The museum is important because it is about our history, our culture and heritage. We need to preserve all these for future generations,  else we will have nothing to show about our past to the next generation and those to come.

The writer has assembled articles that elaborate on the history of the museum and how Mus'Art Gallery is working in preserving the art and culture in Nso' and in the Grass-fields region as a whole. To read on this in order to get a wider perspective on the work of the museum please take time to go through the links provided at the end of this article.

The Mus'Art Gallery exhibition is a showcase of a dedicated commitment by the museum in putting together a collection that represents the creativity of the region over the last three decades of the 20th century. Our museum is a place for exchanges and education, a place where arts open paths for better understanding of history and traditions from the Grass-fields region of Cameroon. We hope that our collection can arouse your interest in the rich and diverse art forms that prevailed during the era in focus.

Generally the collection is divided into two segments:

1. The Musa Carvers

The first segment introduces the visitor to a unique collection known as Journey with a Nso' carver - The Musa Carvers. Works by Daniel Kanjo Musa (1930-1995) representing social life in Nso' kingdom are presented. Following strict Nso' woodcarving norms Kanjo Musa did his art away from the public and was closely followed by the sons. Outstanding was John Yuniwo Musa (1956-1996), unlike his father did works that represented both traditional life and modern trends. Yuniwo Musa was highly talented and was also actively involved in the field of environmental protection. Both Kanjo and Yuniwo created works which earned a lot of admiration. The collection held by the museum brings to light the creative output of these artists. Their works remain a great contribution to the development of traditional woodcarving in Nso' which is at the verge of disappearance.

2. Creativity, Productivity, Empowerment

The second segment presents an exhibition that highlights the artistic creativity of the Grass-fields region. Creativity, Productivity, Empowerment takes the visitor on a tour to a collection full of rich empirical techniques used by the artists and craftsmen that culminate in fascinating works.  The Grass-fields region is rich in artistic creativity. Usually the artists produce artifacts that have something related to way of life, customs and society employing local know how in terms of artistic productivity and in the development of working tools. Through numerous works that portray local talent and diversity in the objects exhibited the visitor discovers a rich collection that is representative of predominant art forms in the Grass-fields. These include woodcarvings, pottery, traditional metal works and basketry. Hunting gadgets, utensils, musical instruments are some of the themes addressed by the collection. Apart from presenting creative memories of the arts and crafts that prevailed, this exhibition presents the arts and crafts as a means to livelihood for Grass-fields artists.

The Mus'Art Gallery is basically involved in preserving artistic creations by the Musa family and of the Grass-fields region. This is very important. Certain art-forms which were common in the region are disappearing for instance wood carving in Nso'. It is therefore important that the museum should at least be there, were people can come and see what their forebears or other contemporary artists did or are engaged in. It is about communication, it is about interpretation and it is about knowing about ourselves. That is the role of the museum.

Wood carving in Nso' was mainly practiced by members of the same family lineage. This means you could learn the art from your father, uncle, brother, cousin or close relative. this is how young people got involved. Today the story is not the same. Young people go to school those who are not able go for apprenticeships and undertake trades such as masonry, carpentry, welding, electricity, plumbing to name a few. No body is ready to take wood carving as a trade. Maybe things might change in future, today art and culture has been introduced in the school curriculum at primary and secondary school levels. Students are pursuing university studies in the fine arts in some state universities such as Yaoundé 1 University and at the University of Dschang. Wood carvers are emerging. But these wood carvers are not traditional wood carvers. Traditional wood carvers did not go to school, they either started wood carving or learned the art from a fellow artist by observation and subsequently trials. This is how traditional wood carving was passed on to generations in Nso'.

For children to get involved in the arts they must be introduced to museums. This is what Mus'Art Gallery has struggled to do over the years, but it has not been successful. To run an educational outreach program the museum needs funds. This becomes very difficult when the museum is unable to sustain it self due to lack of visitors. Since its creation the museum has never received any subvention but whatever the case the museum remains committed in its role.

In 2011 the museum published three editions of its newsletter ArtXchanges-Global News with the help of online volunteers through the United Nations Volunteering (UNV) service. ArtXchanges-Global 4 Mus’Art Gallery is an informal network of friends and interested partners of our museum. It is a platform for exchanges and collaborations. Its goals are:

1.      Learning about our museum and being associated with our work.

2.     Promoting our museum and lesser known creative initiatives worldwide.

3.      Developing informal network of friends and partners - Be part of a fascinating cultural experience!

4.      Encouraging networking within membership - People from different countries and backgrounds!

5.      Sharing experiences, news, contacts, and projects.

Call for concern:

Mus'Art Gallery has gone a long way in the preservation of heritage but today still seem to be on the same spot as it opened in 1996. This is sad and at times traumatizing for the writer who has spent his entire life struggling to ensure the museum succeeds.  A lot still needs to be done to give this museum the image it deserves. The artifacts need to be well preserved, the building is in dire need of renovation, objects need to be cataloged. These are just some of the priority concerns of the museum today.

Mus'Art Gallery would like to be a role model in heritage preservation not only in Cameroon but in other parts of the world. We have a lot to share and we hope we can inspire others to get involved in heritage preservation. In 2006 our museum organized a CreativeChange workshop for young people (more on this see further readings below). There is a lot we would like to do but unfortunately we cannot do. The future of the museum looks gloomy unless there is intervention in supporting the museum in its mission. Whereas if the Mus’Art Gallery had the necessary support,  I can proudly state that our museum should certainly maintain its position as a pioneer in heritage preservation in Nso' and in our region. The local and international art and museum community can add to the vision of the museum by establishing partnerships with us. We are about art education, cultural awareness and heritage preservation. Unless our work is seriously considered worth supporting it is most likely that all our effort that has spanned over three decades may be lost. 

The history of Mus’Art Gallery has four main actors involved: Daniel Kanjo Musa;  John Yuniwo Musa, Paulina Muba Musa; and Peter Mangong Musa. Apart from Peter the first three are all dead. Can we afford to see Mus’Art Gallery with a rich family history, committed in preserving its art and that of its region cease to exist? 

Further reading:

1. Dad's uncompleted mission finally realised

http://www.btinternet.com/~mulamba/musa2.html

2. DANIEL KANJO MUSA: The Musa carvers and the Musa Heritage Gallery

http://bahai-library.org/bafa/m/musa.htm

3. Who was Daniel Kanjo Musa and how did he contribute towards a re-birth of the arts of the Grass-fields of Cameroon?

http://musartgallery.blogspot.com/2010/07/who-was-daniel-kanjo-musa-and-how-did.html

4. Mrs. Paulina M. Musa championed our cause

http://musartgallery.blogspot.com/2010/07/woman-who-championed-our-cause.html

5. The Role of Mus'Art Gallery in Promoting Nso' Culture

http://musartgallery.blogspot.com/2012/03/role-of-musart-gallery-in-promoting-nso.html

6. Cameroon Report on the CreativeChange Workshop

7. About the author

Field Agent Profile: Mangong Peter Musa and the Musa Heritage Gallery in Cameroon

http://blog.onevillage.tv/archives/2005/10/field_agent_pro.html

Meet Mangong Peter Musa of Cameroon

http://www.envirolink.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1132

Peter Musa’s profile on ConnectCP: The international who’s is who of cultural policy, planning and research

http://www.connectcp.org/petermusa

8. Cameroon Report on the Creative Change Workshop

http://www.art4development.net/Cameroon%20Report%20on%20the%20CreativeChange%20Workshop.pdf

A summary on the workshop can be found on http://blog.onevillage.tv/?p=537 (Email and Website addresses on this page are no more in usage).

ArtXchanges-Global Project:

Presently our museum is inviting artists worldwide to participate in the ArtXchanges project by taking part in ‘Global Enviro-Changes’ for more details see:http://musartgallery.blogspot.com/2012/03/call-for-artists-global-enviro-changes.html

The Mus’Art Gallery homepage: www.musartgallery.org

E-mail: administration@musartgallery.org

Call for Artists: 'Global Enviro-Changes'

'Global Enviro-Changes' is a exciting call for works open
to artists of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds interested in
making contributions through visual artistic creations mainly by
drawing, painting or digital art. All works must be original creations
and must be new art works. The project is part of ArtXchanges-Global
which is a platform for artistic exchanges and collaboration by
Cameroonian art museum Mus'Art Gallery. The artworks should reflect
current environmental changes as seen through the eyes of an artist;
how it affects humanity and mother earth. The works should be able to
either showcase the good-sides or devastating nature on one side and
how man is struggling to address environmental changes today. 'Global
Enviro-Changes' will be used by the museum in creating awareness on
current environmental changes showcasing works by artists from all
over the world. All participating artists will receive a certificate
of participation from the museum and all artworks retained by the
museum.

Eligibility: Visual Arts - Artists of all ages, nationalities and
backgrounds are eligible to participate.

All artists must agree to donate their works to the museum.

Place of Event: Kumbo - Cameroon

Send works to:

ArtXchanges-Global 4 Mus'Art Gallery
P.O Box 21, KUMBO, North West Region,
Cameroon - Africa.

Mus'Art Gallery to launch new website soon

Mus'Art Gallery wishes to inform its numerous friends and internet surfers that it is presently developing a new website. The museum will inform you when the site goes functional through our blog posting  so please keep checking. We are really very sorry we have not had an on-line presence for sometime now. We hope you continue to stay attached to our museum.

In the meantime in case you may be interested to get in contact our details are below.

Musa Heritage Gallery (Mus'Art)
Bamfem Quarter, POB 21,
Kumbo, North West Region,
Cameroon - Africa.

Phone: +237 7937 2652
E-mail: musartgallery@yahoo.com

On behalf of Mus'Art Gallery,
Peter Musa
Director

The Role of Mus'Art Gallery in Promoting Nso' Culture

by Peter Musa, Director Mus'Art Gallery

Since its creation in 1996 Musa Heritage Gallery shortened Mus'Art,
named in memory of Nso' carvers Daniel Kanjo Musa and his elder son
John Yuniwo Musa has been active in propagating the Nso' cultural
heritage. This cultural initiative by the Musa family opened her doors
to the public on the 18th December, 1996. Mus’Art Gallery has a
collection of over 400 objects most of which were created between 1970
and 2000. These varied and diverse objects range from Bamboo work to
Wood Carvings, Basketry to Pottery. The museum continues to acquire
contemporary Cameroonian arts and crafts while maintaining a major
focus on the Western Grass-fields region. This region is
internationally renowned for having produced masterpieces of African
art. Unfortunately these objects were appropriated by colonial
missionaries and officers and removed from their place of origin to
museums in Europe or the United States of America.

Mus’Art Gallery was created in part as to preserve in response to the
loss of these precious objects so the Art of the past is not lost to
the region. Its mission is to support the arts and crafts of the
Western Grass-fields and to highlight the excellence and diversity of
regional artists, past and present, so these may become known
nationally and internationally. We propose to do this by providing a
source of information leading to a greater understanding and
appreciation of the varied and diverse material culture of the peoples
of the Cameroon Grass-fields as expressed through their art form.

Nso' being an integral part of the grass-fields region, and the base
of Mus'Art Gallery it is in fact logical that our museum should be a
key player in the area of heritage preservation in Nso'. A research
around Kumbo in 2008 raised a lot of concern. The artistic and
cultural relics to be found in the lineage compounds seem to be quite
recent. Where have all the old objects used by lineage heads gone to?
Unless our Shufaays and Faays are properly schooled on ensuring that
these objects are well catered for and preserved for posterity,
nothing will be left in Nso' in the next decade that links us to our
past. Is this not a cause for concern?

These are the type of things that Mus'Art Gallery wants to tackle.
Education of the masses on the need to preserve artistic and cultural
heritage. For several years, Mus'Art Gallery has been working closely
with the philosophy department of the Government Bilingual High School
(GBHS) Kumbo. If our students understand the need to protect and
preserve artistic and cultural heritage, they will be in a better
position
to carry on the message home to their families and community. It is a
gradual process, which takes time, commitment and resources to do so.
In the past we also engaged school groups in our activities. Even
nursery school kids have visited our museum. These kids grow up with
that memory of the museum visit where they saw strange things, they
learned were made or used by their parents, grand parents or
forebears. Such a kid will definitely want to preserve such things if
given the opportunity. It is a learning process which succeeds after a
period of time.

The art of Nso' traditional wood sculpturing is fast disappearing.
Most Nso' renown carvers have died. Youngsters are unwilling to learn
the art. Mus'Art Gallery is interested in a rebirth of Nso'
traditional wood sculpturing as well as other traditional art forms
such as weaving, basketry, bamboo work, knitting of traditional caps
and other gadgets with raffia leaves or straw. In fact the arts and
crafts industry in Nso' if revamped can create a lot of jobs for young
boys and girls, contribute to economic growth and fight unemployment.
Look at what the arts and crafts industry is doing for our brothers
and sisters in Foumban. In Mezam, Boyo and Ngoketunjia Divisions the
arts and crafts industry is quite alive. The Yambas of Donga Mantung
sell their baskets and bags nationwide. The bamboo industry is well
developed in the West Province. Traditional arts and crafts need to be
embraced and developed in Nso'. Those are some of the things that make
one to identity with a people. What has become of the Shwa Nso' (Nso'
knife), or the Kisov Nso' (Nso' hoe). Someone of Nso' descent recently
lamented, that "Nso' needs an identity such as the Kom who have a
garment which has not only propagated Kom culture, but has been
embraced throughout the grassfields and Cameroon as a whole." In Kenya
there is what is known as a national dress. The Kom garment has taken
that position. Once put on out of this country. People identify you
first as an African and those who are seeing it for the first time
come close to inquire from where you come from. That is an identity we
Cameroonians should be proud of.

In 2009 Mus'Art Gallery published Nso' Traditional Sculpture by Daniel
Kanjo Musa (ISBN 978-3-639-19349-7). This book explains so much on the
art of traditional wood sculpturing in Nso'. Quoting from what I wrote
about the book on the back cover page "This is a dynamic and lively
analysis of an unusual work from a African artist. It explains how he
became a carver, how Nso' carvers are initiated, why the art was
practiced in secrecy, users of the objects, what human figures stood
for and the motifs used."

Still in 2009 a researcher from the U.K compiling information on a
Nso' language dictionary was guest at Mus'Art Gallery. After
unsuccessful attempts to find a lot of traditional utensils which were
made or used in Nso',  he was able to find quite a good number of
interesting pieces at Mus'Art Gallery. They may not look fascinating
but they remain very important cultural relics. These pieces were
photographed and will appear in the Nso' Dictionary soon to be
published. That alone is a great contribution of our museum in the
promotion of Nso' culture for posterity.

Museums in Africa are meant to be alive. They are created for the
public. Mus'Art Gallery was created for the public, Nso' people and
Cameroonians. It is your cultural heritage we are preserving. It is
important to visit the museum to know what we are doing. When you come
closer to the museum you learn a lot. Museums open doors to research,
serve the community, offer opportunities to learn as well as a place
for recreation. We invite the people of Kumbo to get closer to our
museum. It is for you that we opened thirteen years ago. We are not a
money making venture. Else we would have established in a locality
somewhere in the country where we would have been making the money.
Our aim is to contribute to the preservation and promotion of our rich
and fast disappearing artistic and cultural heritage. Tourists and
foreigners are welcome to visit Mus'Art Gallery. Ironically most
people that come to visit are tourists and non-Cameroonians.

We look forward to welcoming you at Mus'Art Gallery.

FestiveKumbo's Blog launched

To commemorate World Tourism Day being celebrated today 27th September, 2010, Mus'Art Gallery is happy to launch 'FestiveKumbo's Blog'. FestiveKumbo is an initiative by Mus’Art Gallery ‘Grass-fields arts museum’ Cameroon to showcase the festive mood of Kumbo as it relates to culture. The concept is to encourage cultural tourism to Kumbo chief town of the Nso’ tribe and to its neighborhoods. FestiveKumbo is one of several WordPress sites planned by Mus’Art Gallery to give a wider visibility to the artistic and cultural attractions of the Grass-fields region of Cameroon.

http://festivekumbo.wordpress.com

Mus'Art Gallery: Artist Residency to kick-start

Nicolas Lesur, France
Intern at Mus'Art Gallery, June - September 2009

Mus'Art Gallery in its constant quest to keep alive has put in place an interesting package for its new artist residency to kick-start in January 2011. The residencies will go a long way to develop an interaction between the museum and foreign based artists on one hand. Cameroonian artists as well as the local community will be able to meet the visiting artists and to discover their creations those bringing the resident artist/artists to a completely new audience and culture. The residency should also greatly go a long way to promote creativity in Kumbo where Mus'Art Gallery is located.

The museum is supposed to be alive and bustling with activities. That is why a promotional brochure has been developed targeting schools, families and groups. If excursions start flowing in coupled with the residency program, Mus'Art Gallery is going to make a difference as a heritage preserver promoting community participation. Local youths and artists will be highly interested if the visiting artists are ready to share their skills or experiences through on-the-spot mentoring, this is just food for thought. This will depend on the time the artist has and what he or she is ready to offer.

 

Africa

Nicolas was exceptional. He was an artist. During his internship he created two art pieces featured here.

His Majesty Sehm Mbinglo I, Fon of Nso'

Towards the end of the residency an exhibition of all the works created during the residency shall be on exhibition at Mus'Art Gallery for a week. One work done during the residency shall be donated by the artist to Mus'Art Gallery to enhance the museum's collection.

For more information on the Mus'Art Gallery artist residency please visit the museum's online gateway http://musart.spruz.com
To request a brochure e-mail: artistresidency.musartgallery@gmail.com