Differences between the Western World and Traditional Africa

Traditional Africa depends on their belief of their ancestral spirits as a influence on their present day activities. Connecting this belief to everyday life guides the people in their daily actions and thoughts. For example, family members in current day Africa are still affected by the past actions of their ancestors. The Western world differs in way of thought, instead depending on technology, government and pharmaceutical companies. Medicine men or healers fulfill roles of doctors and heal the sick through rituals and herbs taken from the land. All traditional African activities are joined to the spirit world. When a tribal party gathered to hunt, they first prayed to their ancestors for guidance and a successful outing. After the successful hunt, they would pay homage to their ancestors by spilling blood of the animal kill to say thanks. What the Western world might call a superstition, the Africans believe these sacrifices are in exchange for advice, guidance and help. This complex relationship between the world of the dead and the living is how traditional African people base their reality of life.
This article is based off writings from No!Mercy Products.

Madonna Stone donation to Via Christi

Below is the article published in the September 14, 2009, Via Christi newsletter:


Stone Madonna displayed in St. Francis rose garden
The rose garden on the west side of Via Christi-St. Francis, just north of the Emergency Department, has a new addition: a 400-pound impressionistic representation of the Madonna.
This statue was donated by Rex Lee, MD, and his wife, Arvella. Dr. lee was a general surgeon with Via Christi for more than 50 years. About eight years ago, Arvella Lee came across a group of local sculpture artists in Zimbabwe, Africa. She purchased the statue of the Madonna and had it shipped to the U.S. The Lees decided to donate the sculpture to Via Christi upon retirement.
"I had always wanted to donate the statue to Via Christi because it was a Madonna," said Arvella Lee.
Facilities Management had some difficulty when deciding how to display the statue.
The statue's size, weight and narrow base posed problems. Experts consulted by Ken Sloan, Plant Operations trade lead, said drilling holes in the bottom could break the statue.
In the end, it was decided that drilling holes into the thickest part of the staue at the back and inserting tow anchor bolts would be the safest way to secure it. Sloan designed a decorative black wrought iron arbor with a plate of meatl in the center to serve a two-fold dunction: as a support structure to bolt the staue to, and as a backdrop behind the Madonna.
The sculpture now stands on a polishe granite base.
"We felt that Via Christi was a good recipient because my husband was associated with the Medical Center and he loved it there," said Arvella Lee. "It was a part of our lives."

Artist and Friend: Patrick Kutinyu

In my last blog posting discussing my Dolphin Stone, I mentioned an artist named Patrick Kutinyu. He has been a large part in my discoveries of African artifacts. I wanted to give him credit for his part of my passion in this art. Patrick was born in Zimbabwe, which is located in the southern part of the continent of Africa. He and his grandfather lived as hunters. Patrick's passion for the wildlife of Africa was expressed when he carved in the native stone. All of Patrick's work was fabricated from stone, and through this he brought the animals of Africa to life. He has personally sculpted stone art for me, as you read in my previous blog. When I met him, is when I saw the fascinating world of Africa through his eyes, and ultimately gave birth to my collection for stones.