Art of the Lega: Meaning & Metaphor in Central Africa

Art of the Lega: Unit 6: Art as a Metaphor for Knowledge and Wisdom

This unit investigates the interplay of verbal and visual metaphors, as they together communicate the importance of knowledge and wisdom. Lessons provide opportunities for students to interpret Lega proverbs and consider corollaries in their own experiences.

Art of the Lega: Unit 5: Art as a Badge of Leadership

What makes a great leader? The arts play an important role in Lega life in becoming badges of leadership and insignia of membership. Learning opportunities encourage students' exploration of the insignia of leadership, both in their own communities and those of the Lega peoples.

Art of the Lega: Unit 4: Art as a Code of Ethics

In this lesson students examine Lega concepts of ethics, comparing them to their own standards of moral excellence. They determine and experiment with the ways by which the arts can communicate the ideals and values of a society.

Art of the Lega: Unit 3: Art as an Expression of "Beauty-and-Goodness"

Discussions, artmaking and writing activities engage students in a discovery of Lega aesthetics. Students gain expertise through experiences with vocabulary and visual literacy.

Art of the Lega: Unit 2: Art as a Link to the Past

Summary

Students explore Lega art as a link to the past through activities that 1) investigate the political and social histories of the region and 2) consider the ways that works of art can serve to embody memories of family and lineage. Extension activities engage students in a discovery of the means by which objects in our lives communicate memory and meaning.

Art of the Lega: Unit 1: Art as a Minor of the Environment

Summary

Students explore the environment in which Lega peoples live through activities that focus on the flora and fauna of the tropical rainforest and other habitats. They investigate the ways that elements of the environment are interpreted through the visual and performing arts.

Curriculum Resource Unit for Art of the Lega: Meaning & Metaphor in Central Africa

Summary

The Art of the Lega unit investigates the culture and the arts of the Lega peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Among the Lega, art is created for and used by the Bwami Society, a complex organization essential to political, social, and religious life.
Lessons focus on Art as a Mirror of the Environment ; Art as a Link to the Past; Art as an Expression of Beauty-and-Goodness; Art as a Code of Ethics; Art as a Badge of Leadership; and Art as a Metaphor for Knowledge and Wisdom.