On display at the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi is a stunning collection of pre-colonial African art, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the continent.
Friday, August 2, 2019, marked the beginning of an exhibition that has been curated by Lisa Christophersen, featuring pieces from West Africa and East Africa.
The exhibition includes several magnificent examples of mainly West African sculpture, including stunning replicas of bronze sculptures from the Kingdom of Benin, which are mostly housed in the British Museum in London.
Among the pieces on display are sculptures, masks, spears, and shields, strategically placed around the first floor of the Norfolk.
The collection includes several pieces that belong to an anonymous benefactor who recently decided to strip away all the 'excess' material things from his life and start living like an ascetic.
The man prefers to remain unknown, only acquainted with Ms Christoffersen, whom he gave the green light to display and even sell his entire collection of Pan-African art.
The vast majority of the pieces come from the Congo, specifically from the Kingdom of Kuba, which had its heyday from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
There are also choice pieces from Benin, where the 'lost wax' technique of casting bronze and brass was used from the 13th century in what is now Nigeria.
Unfortunately, the kingdom of Benin was burnt to a pulp by the British in 1898, and most of the surviving bronze sculptures, plaques, and heads were shipped off to Europe, mainly to Great Britain.
However, today, they can also be found in museums in Germany and the US, as well as in the British Museum in London.
How the collector managed to obtain the works that are on display remains a mystery, as the collector remains tight-lipped and Ms Christoffersen keeps the secret.
But there is little doubt that the Benin bronze works on display are authentic.
Among the pieces on display are a Maasai spear, a Benin 'lost wax' bronze plaque, wooden masks, containers, and sculpted heads from Congo, as well as a bronze cow bell topped with an exquisitely shaped face from Gabon.
There were also several items from East Africa on display, most of which were more contemporary, including headrest/stools that Ms Christophersen said came from either Samburu, Turkana, Rendille, or Borana.
One stool that was more of a wooden (sofa-like) recliner also came from Samburu.
There were two Giriama ceremonial grave markers, which I believe were not meant to have been removed from their grave sites, and one lovely Makonde sculpture from Mozambique, which might have been a pre-colonial creation.
The one item that I feel sure was pre-colonial was the Kikuyu wood and leather ceremonial shield, which is certainly an indigenous creation complete with a carefully carved interior side that has an arm hole and handle for the warrior to grasp.
It is quite a heavy shield suggesting the Kikuyu warrior had to be strong enough to use it in battle.
The shield is one of the rarer pieces in the exhibition, on sale for Sh156,000.
The most pricey piece in the show is the Benin bronze plaque going for Sh360,000.
