African

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African Masks
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Hello to our new friends in England. Do you know
who we are?
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We are your new friends in The Gambia ?
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We are at the Museum of African Culture and there
are examples of many different types of masks
from all over Africa.
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Masks are very important in African culture.
Masked dances form part of many traditional
ceremonies like weddings, funerals and the naming
of newly born babies.
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Masks come in many forms depending on which
spirit they represent and each mask has a
particular dance and music associated with it.
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It is believed that the person wearing the mask
goes into a trance and becomes a representative
of that spirit on earth.
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We are going to show you how to make your own
African Mask. This is the design we are going to
use.
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These are all the things you will need to make an
African Mask. A piece of cardboard, felt marker
pens, scissors, some drinking straws, some old
newspapers, some glue, some big and small brushes
and some paints.
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First you will need to choose a design for your
mask and then draw it on to a piece of cardboard
using a thick black pen.
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You will want to mark out where you are going to
cut holes and stick drinking straws and paper to
raise it up.
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When you have finished drawing the masks you need
to carefully cut it out
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What do you guys think of the mask I have drawn?
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Next you stick drinking straws along the lines
you want to raise up on the mask. Or if you want
bumps you screw up little bits of paper and
stick them on. To make a nose I cut out some
thin card in a nose shape, folded it down the
middle and stuck it on top of some screwed up
bits of paper.
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I am enjoying this very much. Making masks is fun!
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You need to cut holes in the eyes, ears and
mouth. You may need some help with this.
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You tear up the cardboard into pieces the size of
very large postage stamps and you stick them on
to your mask.
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You need to put 2 or 3 layers of paper onto the
masks. Make sure you let the glue dry before you
put on the next layer and be careful not to cover
the holes in the ears, eyes and mouth. When it is
finished it will look like this. Now its ready
to paint.
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First, I am giving it a good coating of black
paint.
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Next, I am painting the raised up bits with red
or yellow paint.
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And here is what my finished mask looks like. Do
you like it?
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Well, we hope you liked learning about African
masks. Next time we are going to send you about
what we are doing to look after the environment
by re-using and re-cycling things. Leegi
Leegi (That means see you soon in Wolof)