Osei Bonsu | Linguists Staff Asante, Ghana, mid-20th centuryOne of the 20th century’s lea
Osei Bonsu | Linguists Staff Asante, Ghana, mid-20th centuryOne of the 20th century’s leading African sculptors was Osei Bonsu. Osei Bonsu carved this gold-covered wooden linguist’s staff for someone who could speak for the Asante king. At the top are two men sitting at a table of food—a metaphor for the office of the king. There is a related proverb: “Food is for its rightful owner, not for the one who happens to be hungry.”The “hungry” man lusts for the office. The linguist, who is an important counselor and adviser to the king, might carry this staff to a meeting at which a rival contests the king’s title to the stool (his throne, the office). Many hundreds of sculptures from this region have proverbs or other sayings associated with them, which has created a rich verbal tradition relating to the visual arts of the Akan peoples. (x) -- source link
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