{"id":3652,"date":"2020-11-29T11:21:37","date_gmt":"2020-11-29T10:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/?p=3652"},"modified":"2020-12-10T11:28:04","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T10:28:04","slug":"asafo-flags-of-the-fante","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/asafo-flags-of-the-fante\/","title":{"rendered":"ASAFO FLAGS OF THE FANTE par Jean-Jacques Mandel"},"content":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/issuu.com\/v.dupardmandel\/docs\/gjjm_asafo<\/a><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ISSUU CATALOGUE OF THE ASAFO FLAGS<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

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De l\u2019art<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>martial<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>de l\u2019empire<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>de Ghana<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e0 la picto-peinture<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>mythologique<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>de Victor Brauner.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Quand, \u00e0 la fin du\u00a0XV\u00e8me<\/sup> si\u00e8cle, les\u00a0Portugais d\u00e9couvrent\u00a0la c\u00f4te ouest-africaine, ils\u00a0trouvent, \u00e0 leur grande surprise,\u00a0une soci\u00e9t\u00e9\u00a0tr\u00e8s d\u00e9velopp\u00e9e,\u00a0b\u00e2tie sur les fondations\u00a0d\u2019un fabuleux empire organis\u00e9\u00a0en royaumes\u00a0qui\u00a0connut,\u00a0gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 ses mines d\u2019or,\u00a0son apog\u00e9e au\u00a0d\u00e9but du\u00a0Moyen-Age. Ils \u00e9rigent alors, sur toute la c\u00f4te,\u00a0des forts comme\u00a0ce lui de St Georges de la Mine\u00a0qui deviendra\u00a0Elmina lorsque la\u00a0Compagnie n\u00e9erlandaise des Indes occidentales<\/em>\u00a0s\u2019en emparera\u00a0en 1637,\u00a0et en fera\u00a0l\u2018avant-poste maritime\u00a0de son\u00a0florissant\u00a0commerce d\u2019esclaves. Une traite\u00a0que les Hollandais\u00a0pratiqueront intensivement\u00a0jusqu’\u00e0 en 1814.<\/p>\n

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D\u00e8s la\u00a0fin du XVII\u00e8me,\u00a0dans leurs r\u00e9cits de voyage,\u00a0les\u00a0Flamands d\u00e9crivent\u00a0les\u00a0frankaa, ces<\/em>\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0drapeaux color\u00e9s\u00a0\u00bb\u00a0agit\u00e9s par les habitants d\u2019Elmina.\u00a0Embl\u00e8mes-souvenirs\u00a0des\u00a0glorieux combattants\u00a0Asafo,\u00a0membres de\u00a0compagnies\u00a0militaires, fantassins et\u00a0cavaliers\u00a0royaux, les drapeaux\u00a0des Fanti\u00a0devenus\u00a0blasons\u00a0et banni\u00e8res\u00a0d\u2019associations civiles\u00a0tatouent\u00a0alors\u00a0la\u00a0grandiose\u00a0histoire\u00a0de l\u2019Empire\u00a0sur le corps\u00a0social.\u00a0Il n\u2019y a pas\u00a0d\u2018\u00e9criture\u00a0vernaculaire\u00a0en Afrique seule une tradition orale dans laquelle les contes philosophiques et les proverbes m\u00e9taphoriques\u00a0transmis de\u00a0g\u00e9n\u00e9ration en g\u00e9n\u00e9ration,\u00a0tiennent lieu de m\u00e9moire.\u00a0Les\u00a0associations\u00a0illuminent leurs\u00a0drapeaux de\u00a0ce\u00a0bestiaire symbolique\u00a0et inventent de nouvelles traditions\u00a0d\u2019art visuel.<\/p>\n

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Co\u00efncidence ou\u00a0concordance de temps, aux Pays-Bas de l\u2019\u00e9poque\u00a0la culture\u00a0est d\u00e9j\u00e0 sophistiqu\u00e9e, le patrimoine\u00a0litt\u00e9raire et proverbial tr\u00e8s riche et\u00a0les proverbes constituent alors\u00a0les rares lieux de rencontre entre le savoir des \u00e9lites\u00a0et celui du plus grand nombre. En t\u00e9moignent les tableaux\u00a0du grand peintre flamand\u00a0Jacob Jordaens\u00a0arch\u00e9types de\u00a0cette tradition. On peut\u00a0donc\u00a0imaginer\u00a0que les navigateurs\u00a0bataves\u00a0furent en empathie\u00a0imm\u00e9diate avec les\u00a0Asafo Flags<\/em>\u00a0et leur imagerie\u00ab\u00a0merveilleuse\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n

Les\u00a0colons\u00a0Anglais\u00a0prennent le relais\u00a0de l\u2019occupation\u00a0en 1821, guerroient avec les\u00a0Ashanti,\u00a0s\u2019allient\u00a0momentan\u00e9ment avec les Fanti\u00a0et\u00a0fondent la Gold-Coast\u00a0en 1872.\u00a0Au tournant\u00a0du XX\u00e8me si\u00e8cle, celle-ci\u00a0ayant r\u00e9unifi\u00e9 ses royaumes et ses groupes ethniques, devient\u00a0colonie britannique \u00e0 part enti\u00e8re.<\/p>\n

Les\u00a0administrateurs coloniaux,\u00a0qui\u00a0distribuent\u00a0\u00e0\u00a0tout va des milliers de drapeaux\u00a0du\u00a0Royaume-Uni,\u00a0s\u2019appuient\u00a0sur les\u00a0pouvoirs locaux pour maintenir leur\u00a0h\u00e9g\u00e9monie.\u00a0D\u00e9s lors\u00a0personnages royaux, \u00e9lites r\u00e9gionales, confr\u00e9ries et associations locales\u00a0vont prosp\u00e9rer\u00a0gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l\u2019usage de ces bribes de\u00a0ce\u00a0pouvoir \u00ab\u00a0indirect\u00a0\u00bb\u00a0qui leur permet de vivre la \u00ab\u00a0High Life\u00a0<\/em>\u00bb\u00a0\u00a0des ma\u00eetres. Rejoignant les bataillons m\u00e9tiss\u00e9s de l\u2019arm\u00e9e du Commonwealth les nouveaux guerriers d\u00e9couvrent la musique et l\u2019inventivit\u00e9 des soldats de leur\u00a0Empire\u00a0d\u2019adoption\u2026\u00a0Frapp\u00e9s du sceau de\u00a0l\u2019Union Jack<\/em>, les\u00a0Asafo flags<\/em>\u00a0s\u2018\u00e9mancipent et, au milieu du si\u00e8cle, m\u00e9langeant proverbes et paraboles modernes dans une\u00a0f\u00e9\u00e9rie de couleurs ils\u00a0vont devenir\u00a0la voix de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 civile naissante\u00a0et\u00a0\u00e9crivent\u00a0au quotidien le r\u00e9cit mytho-po\u00e9tique de leur nouvelle destin\u00e9e qui les m\u00e8nera l\u2019ind\u00e9pendance en1957.<\/p>\n

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A la m\u00eame \u00e9poque, en Roumanie,\u00a0Victor\u00a0Brauner\u00a0un peintre \u00e9sot\u00e9rique qui deviendra l\u2019une des figures du Surr\u00e9alisme renoue avec la \u00ab\u00a0pens\u00e9e primitive\u00a0\u00bb et invente la \u00ab\u00a0picto-peinture\u00a0\u00bb mythologique. Cette tentative effront\u00e9e de lier le mot \u00e0 l\u2019image l\u2019am\u00e8nera \u00e0\u00a0utiliser un vaste bestiaire magique\u00a0dans beaucoup de toiles et dessins\u00a0jusqu\u2019\u00e0 l\u2019apoth\u00e9ose\u00a0du chef d\u2019\u0153uvre\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Pr\u00e9lude \u00e0 la civilisation\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(1954)\u2026<\/p>\n

Depuis,\u00a0comment regarder un\u00a0drapeau Fanti,\u00a0marqu\u00e9 d\u00e9sormais de la\u00a0Black Star,<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>sans ressentir\u00a0l\u2019universalit\u00e9 de cette\u00a0proposition\u00a0plastique\u00a0?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jean-Jacques Mandel<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Asafo companies are Akan military groups devoted in the past to the defense of the state: sa (war)and fo (people).<\/em><\/p>\n

These companies, which are most highly developed among the Fante of Ghana\u2019s central region, exert political influence through their military activities and their participation in the selection and enstoolment of the chief. Civic duties include sanitation projects, roadbuilding, politicking,fire fighting, and community entertainment. Asafo compagnies are opened to both men and women, and larger towns may have several companies.<\/p>\n

Asafo is organized into military companies that are numbered and named and that have individual emblems and company regalia. The leader of the combined companies in the state is the tufohen<\/em> (general). Each company has its own supi<\/em> (commanding officer), asafohen <\/em>(company captain), and a variety of lesser officials, including spokespersons, flagbearers, hornblowers, priests and priestesses.<\/p>\n

Asafo companies are associated with such visual arts as shrines, flags, banners, and attire \u2013 some of which show European influence. Flags are displayed on flagpoles, suspended on strings that line a festival area or danced one at a time in processions by specially trained company officers, frankaakitsanyi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Posuban<\/em> are Asafo monuments that serve as religious shrines and gathering places for company meetings and rituals. Today\u2019s elaborate architectural fantasies exhibit exterior scenes, both painted and sculpted, that often include such ships. Such representations are rendered in vibrant colours that identify and advertise the company while demonstrating the power of Asafo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elmina Museum<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"\"\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

cr\u00e9dits photos \u00a9vdupardmandel<\/p>\n

BIBLIOGRAPHIE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Art, Honor, and Ridicule: Fante Asafo Flags from Southern Ghana 2017<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

de\u00a0Corey Ross Doran<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(Avec la contribution de),\u00a0Silvia Forni<\/span>\u00a0(Avec la contribution de)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/issuu.com\/v.dupardmandel\/docs\/gjjm_asafo CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ISSUU CATALOGUE OF THE ASAFO FLAGS \u00a0 \u00a0   De l\u2019art\u00a0martial\u00a0de l\u2019empire\u00a0de Ghana \u00e0 la picto-peinture\u00a0mythologique\u00a0de Victor Brauner.   Quand, \u00e0 la fin du\u00a0XV\u00e8me si\u00e8cle, les\u00a0Portugais d\u00e9couvrent\u00a0la c\u00f4te ouest-africaine, ils\u00a0trouvent, \u00e0 leur grande surprise,\u00a0une soci\u00e9t\u00e9\u00a0tr\u00e8s d\u00e9velopp\u00e9e,\u00a0b\u00e2tie sur les fondations\u00a0d\u2019un…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3652"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3652"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3691,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3652\/revisions\/3691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjacquesmandel.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}