In Step with the Times - Mapiko Masquerades of Mozambique (Paperback)

The helmet-shaped "mapiko" masks of Mozam-bique have garnered admiration from African art scholars and collectors alike, due to their striking aesthetics and their grotesque allure. This book restores to mapiko its historic and artistic context, charting in detail the transformations of this masquerading tradition throughout the twentieth century.
Based on field research spanning seven years, this study shows how mapiko has undergone continuous reinvention by visionary individuals, has diversified into genres with broad generational appeal, and has enacted historical events and political engagements. This dense history of creativity and change has been sustained by a culture of competition deeply ingrained within the logic of ritual itself. The desire to outshine rivals on the dance ground drives performers to search for the new, the astonishing, and the topical. It is this spirit of rivalry and one-upmanship that keeps mapiko attuned to the times that it traverses.
"In Step with the Times" is illustrated with vibrant photographs of mapiko masks and performances. It marks the most radical attempt to date to historicize an African performative tradition.

General

Imprint:	Ohio University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	New African Histories
Release date:	June 2014
First published:	2014
Authors:	Paolo Israel
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 25mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	296
ISBN-13:	978-0-8214-2088-1
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > General Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Area / regional studies > General
LSN:	0-8214-2088-7
Barcode:	9780821420881

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