I am trying to reassemble myself and return home




What is home?

That is a central question in the effort to return to a “home”.

In the metaphysical sense, is it knowledge of the ultimate meaning in my life that will justify the struggle that constitutes life on earth? Should or will this meaning be self constructed or exist irrespective of my conception of it or something related to both positions? In the domestic sense, I have concluded that the home I once had as married man in Benin has ceased to exist. What is a home if not the united presence of those with whom you share common understanding, common values on why you are together? It is not simply the fact of being bound in marriage. This core value has been destroyed by a woman who has reinterpreted the history of my marriage in a manner that is meaningless to me. My children and I still identify with each other but to have a home with them I will have to reconstitute the physical structure of our relationship. Even the physical home, a house belonging to my family, where Kemi lives with the children, she has made clear through her characteristic doublespeak, that I am not welcome there. So I will have to find a space where I can relate to my children without the presence of that creature who has metamorphosed from what I thought was partner into a decided adversary, but an adversary who considers her strategies to be more effective if she pretends to remain a partner.

Top:Dogon couple

from "The Art of the Dogon" by Kate Ezra at JSTOR African Arts Vol_ 21, No_ 4, p_ 30.Image courtesy of the Metroplitan Museum of Art;Gift of Leister Wunderman

Barakat Gallery describes the significance of this motif in Dogon art:

"This sculpture of a Dogon couple is highly symbolic in its nature of design and use. The Dogon people are known to create works of art that embody religious beliefs, spiritual entities and the overall values and emotions of the people. The symbolic nature of the stool and placing a couple upon it makes this work highly important. They are the ancestors of the tribesmen. They are the spiritual companions for their children and their children's children. Sculptures like this one were placed in an altar and used for guidance, reassurance and peace of mind.

The special feature of this artifact is the stool. The base of the stool represents the earth while the upper surface symbolizes the sky. This gives the impression that they are ever-present in the lives of the people. This piece shows the unity of a couple and therefore the connection the tribe has with each other. This unity is achieved by linking the couple’s arms. Looking at the back of the seated woman, you will find the man’s arm resting upon her shoulder. The overall importance and the beautiful image of this couple bring us closer to the truth of ever-lasting love and togetherness. The everyday life for the Dogon people was to try and achieve this goal. Today, this ancestral couple empowers everyone who wishes to achieve such a goal".

and :

"This sculpture represents one of the more mysterious subject matters in Dogon art. A couple sits upon a chief stool, replete with caryatid figures, thus represented as dignitaries. They are depicted as equals on the same level, the male resting his arm just above the woman’s shoulders. Although such equality between the sexes was absent from daily life, symbolically, it suggests procreation and the continuity of the lineage, an essential aspect of Dogon society.

While the basic subject of this sculpture is easily understood, the meaning of the work is open to scholarly debate. Although once referred to as a “primordial couple,” this attribution seems unlikely since this concept does not exist in Dogon religion. Some Dogon tribesmen have suggested, instead, that it represents mythical twins of opposite sex, symbolic of the perfect union spawned from the world egg of the creator god Amma. In this legend, the male of the twins, named Nommo, left the egg prematurely and wandered the heavens and earth in solitude, searching for his female counterpart.

Thus, this sculpture might depict the reunification of Nommo and his twin sister. According to other tribesmen, this sculpture might be a depiction of the ideal marriage of ancient times, that between a uterine uncle and his niece. According to Dogon mythology, again relating to the Nommo myth, marriages were originally between twins, and all births resulted in twins. When Nommo abandoned the womb prematurely, he carried with him a bit of placenta that rotted away and became the earth. When searching for his sister, he traversed the bowels of the earth, viewed as an act of incest between a son and his mother. Thus, incest became forbidden and strictly taboo. Perhaps then, this sculpture represents the incest taboo.

Although the meaning of this sculpture can be endlessly debated, its beauty and delicate refinement cannot be denied. Scarifications, delicately engraved onto the surface of the wood, cover their faces, stomachs and shoulders. Their elaborate coiffures have been carefully depicted with crested braids and engraved lines suggesting the texture of the individual strands of hair. Although a stunning work of art that we appreciate for its beauty, this sculpture no doubt had a more important mythological meaning to the Dogon tribe who created it that has unfortunately been lost to us over time".