Art and craft traditions: Africa and the Americas

From royal brass plaques to woven cloth and giant public murals, art from Africa and the Americas tells powerful stories.

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West African textiles

Kente cloth comes from Ghana, made by the Asante and Ewe peoples. It is woven in narrow strips with bright geometric patterns, then the strips are sewn together. Colours and patterns can carry meanings.
Adinkra symbols, from the Akan peoples of Ghana, each stand for an idea or saying. They are traditionally printed on cloth with stamps carved from calabash (gourd). For example, Sankofa means 'go back and get it': learn from the past.

The Benin Bronzes

The Kingdom of Benin was in what is now southern Nigeria (not the modern country of Benin).
Skilled guilds of casters made brass and bronze plaques and heads for the royal palace, using lost-wax casting. The plaques record court life, rulers and events.
In 1897, British forces attacked Benin City and took thousands of these objects. Many are now in museums outside Nigeria, and there is debate about returning them; some have been returned.

Art of the Americas

After the Mexican Revolution (1910 to 1920), Mexican artists painted huge murals on public buildings, telling the history and struggles of ordinary Mexicans so that everyone, not just gallery visitors, could see art. This is called Mexican muralism. Leading muralists included Diego Rivera (1886 to 1957), José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros.
The Guna people of Panama make molas: colourful textile panels made by layering fabrics and cutting through them (reverse appliqué).
Worked example

Explain why Mexican muralists chose to paint on the walls of public buildings.

  1. After the Mexican Revolution, artists wanted art to belong to ordinary people.
  2. Many people never visited galleries, but public buildings are seen by everyone.
  3. Huge murals could tell Mexico's history and struggles to a wide audience.

Answer: So that ordinary people, not just gallery visitors, could see art that told the story of Mexico's history and people.

Key idea

Kente cloth (Ghana) is strip-woven with meaningful patterns; Adinkra symbols, such as Sankofa, are stamped on cloth. The Benin Bronzes, from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria, were made by lost-wax casting and many were taken by British forces in 1897. Mexican muralists such as Diego Rivera painted public murals.

Key words
Lost-wax casting
A casting method in which a wax model is covered in a mould, melted out, and replaced with molten metal.
Casting
Making a sculpture by pouring a liquid material, such as plaster or molten metal, into a mould.

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  1. Which people are famous for weaving kente cloth?

    1. The Maori
    2. The Inuit
    3. The Aztecs
    4. The Asante (Ashanti) and Ewe peoples
    Show the answer

    Answer: The Asante (Ashanti) and Ewe peoples

    Kente comes from Ghana.

  2. Why is kente cloth woven in narrow strips?

    1. Wide cloth is banned
    2. The looms used are narrow, so strips are sewn together
    3. To save colour
    4. Because it is printed
    Show the answer

    Answer: The looms used are narrow, so strips are sewn together

    Strips are joined to make larger cloths.

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Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.