Nomads who Cultivate Beauty

Download or read book Nomads who Cultivate Beauty written by Mette Bovin and published by Nordic Africa Institute. This book was released on 2001 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The author describes Wodaabe cultural choices as "active archaisation". Different art forms are analysed in the light of identity construction by the Wodaabe. Their elaborate cultivation of beauty in make-up, tattoos, body paintings, calabash carvings, embroideries, and architecture all follow the principle of symmetry and order in the cosmos. The author emphasizes the gendered aspects of social life and identity construction and explores masculinity among nomadic Wodaabe men, who are living sculptures displaying their beauty as a spiritual act, full of honour and dignity."--BOOK JACKET.