Dance with Shango. God of Thunder.
Somogy| N° d'inventaire | 21479 |
| Format | 23 x 29 |
| Détails | 248 p., 200 illustrations, hardcover. |
| Publication | Paris, 2018 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782757213971 |
“I could only believe in a God who knew how to dance… now I am light, now I fly, now I see myself below me, now a god dances within me.” F. NIETZSCHE, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1891 Within the teeming Yoruba pantheon, Shango is one of the most powerful deities: he embodies a formidable force of nature that strikes with lightning and meteorites. At once man, king, and force of nature, he is a particularly complex support for Yoruba thought in Benin and Nigeria, between energy and balance. As part of his cult, the faithful surround themselves with objects of remarkable symbolism. The oshe, a staff adorned with a double axe, is the most varied of all: held in the hand during the dance of possession, it extends the arm and gestures of the one who holds it and highlights them with its refined aesthetic, sometimes very descriptive, or on the contrary very abstract. Its beauty and diversity help to affirm the magnificence of the altar where food offerings and libations are poured out. This work restores the richness of the material heritage and thought of Africa, through numerous unpublished masterpieces.
“I could only believe in a God who knew how to dance… now I am light, now I fly, now I see myself below me, now a god dances within me.” F. NIETZSCHE, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1891 Within the teeming Yoruba pantheon, Shango is one of the most powerful deities: he embodies a formidable force of nature that strikes with lightning and meteorites. At once man, king, and force of nature, he is a particularly complex support for Yoruba thought in Benin and Nigeria, between energy and balance. As part of his cult, the faithful surround themselves with objects of remarkable symbolism. The oshe, a staff adorned with a double axe, is the most varied of all: held in the hand during the dance of possession, it extends the arm and gestures of the one who holds it and highlights them with its refined aesthetic, sometimes very descriptive, or on the contrary very abstract. Its beauty and diversity help to affirm the magnificence of the altar where food offerings and libations are poured out. This work restores the richness of the material heritage and thought of Africa, through numerous unpublished masterpieces.