Ulli Beier; a Beacon in the Post- Colonial Renascence of Adire.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v2i9.197Keywords:
Ulli Beier, Adire, Renascence, Post-Colonial, OshogboAbstract
Oshogbo in Southwestern Nigeria was renowned for the Yoruba, patterned, indigo – dyed cloth; Adire. Traditionally called “ilu Aro”, home of indigo and indigo dyeing, the dyers in the town were patronized from far and near for their dyeing prowess. This art tradition however suffered a lull in the twilight of Nigerian Colonialism in the 1950s, due to lack of willing young apprentices to learn this generational art which traditionally, was passed from mothers to daughters, as the young girls now preferred Western education in an Eurocentric setting. Another challenge was the flooding of Nigerian markets with cheaper, imported textiles, which were not taxed, while the locally produced ones were. Hand in hand with these twin problems is the mindset of many educated Nigerians, who then saw the Adire merely as rural cloth for poor, illiterate, rural dwellers.
This trend however changed in the Post – Independence years of the 1960s, with the concerted efforts of certain individuals, among whom Ulli Beier shone as a beacon. Through a paradigm shift in apprentice education and tranning in this indigenous knowledge, his efforts not only brought a rebirth of the Adire art, but also resulted in a dynamic new form of the art, which has become an inseparable part of the socio – cultural, visual landscape of Osogbo, and many other Adire art centres in Southwestern Nigeria
The paper, an art historical research based on field work, consultation of literature materials and interviews of artists, highlights the methods of training employed and bring to the fore how a paradigm shift in pedagogy, technic and technology can enhance the sustainability of many indigenous knowledge in a fast changing world.
References
Adepegba Cornelius O. 1995. Osogbo in contemporary Nigerian art. In: Adepegba C.O. (ed). Osogbo: Model of Growing African Towns. Ibadan. Institute of African Studies.
Adepegba, C.O. 1995. Nigerian Arts: Its Tradition and Modern Tendencies. Ibadan. Jodad Publishers.
Akinwumi T. 2008. Ayoola Alabi: A Leader of a Movement in Contemporary Adire Art C. 1930s – 1956. In: Style, School and Movements in Modern Nigerian Art. Proceedings of the 2nd National Symposium on Nigerian Art. Lagos. National Gallery of Art.188-202
Akpata Bisi. 1971. Comments on Adire. In: Barbour J and Simmonds D. (eds.): Adire in Western Nigeria. Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. 95-100
Areo Olugbemisola. 2010. Adire in Southwestern Nigeria 1957-2007. Ph.D. Thesis. Unpublished. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso
Barbour Joanne and Simmonds D. (eds). 1971. .Adire Cloth in Nigeria. Ibadan. Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.
Bascom William. 1973. A Yoruba Master Carver, Duja of Meko. In: d’Azevedo W.L. (ed). The Traditional Artist in African Societies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Beier Ulli. 1964. Contemporary Art in Africa. London. Pall Mall.
Beier Ulli. 1993. Yoruba Textile Art. Bayreuth.
Bray, Jennifer M. 1969. The Crafts Structure of a Traditional Yoruba Town. Transaction of the Institute of British Geographers. 46: 179-93.
Eicher, Joanne Bulbolz. 1976. Nigerian Handcrafted Textiles. Ile-Ife, Nigeria. University of Ife Press.
Eluyemi Omotoso. 1976. The Living Arts and Crafts of Ile-Ife. Ile-Ife. University of Ife Press, Nigeria.
Fagg Williams, 1968. African Tribal Images. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Folarin Agboola. 1989, Imaginative Image in Modern Contemporary Nigerian Arts. Kurio Africana. Journal of Arts and Criticism. Vol. 1, No. 1.
Frank Speed and Ulli Beier. 1964. New Images. A Film on Oshogbo, Nigeria. Ibadan. Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.
Gillow J. and Sentence B. 1999. World Textiles: A Visual Guide to Traditional Techniques. Boston, New York, .London. Bulfinch Press, Little Brown and Company.
Kalilu, R.O.R. 1991. Leatherwork in Oyo: Access to Material as a Factor in the Origin of an African Craft. African Notes. Vol. 15, Nos 1 and 2. 106-112.
Littlefield Kasfir S. 1999. Contemporary African Art. London. Thames and Hudson.
Mack John and Picton J. 1979. African Textiles. London. British Museum Publication Limited.
Millson Alvan. 1891. The Yoruba Country, West Africa. In: Proceedings of The Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. No. 4. October.
Mount W. Marshall. 1973. African Art: The Years Since 1920. Bloomgton and London, Indiana University Press.
.Pogoson Ohioma I. 1995. Dyeing in Osogbo Township. In: Adepegba C.O. (ed). Osogbo: Model of Growing African Towns. Ibadan. Institute of African Studies.
Polakoff Claire. 1982 African Textile and Dyeing Techniques. London and Henley. Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Price Christine. 1975. Made in West Africa. New York. Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc.
Proctor M. Richard and Lew J.F. 1992. Surface Design for Fabric. Seattle and London. University of Washington Press.
Stanfield Nancy. 1971. Dyeing Methods in Western Nigeria. In: Barbour J. and Simmonds D. (eds.). Adire Cloth in Nigeria. Ibadan. Institute of African Studies. 19-20.
Taylor E.P. 1921. Primitive Culture. 7th edition. New York. Brentanos.
Wolff, H. Norman. 2001. “Leave Velvet Alone.” The Adire Tradition of the Yoruba. In:
Susan J. Torntore (ed). Cloth is the Centre of the World: Nigerian Textile, Global Perspective. Minnesota: Goldstein Museum of Designs.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
