The Casting and Replication of an ‘Akuaba Doll’ in Metal Art

Abstract

In Africa as in many ethnic societies of the world, the value and significance of artistic art forms are largely based on traditional cultural practices. As custodians of these valued traditional beliefs, it is the priority of everyone within the community to preserve and promote this unique traditional culture including the ‘Akuaba’ doll. The ‘Akuaba’ doll in its original form has been known to be made of wood, lacks durability and therefore is not able to withstand the harsh conditions of the atmosphere for a long period. Therefore the purpose of this study is to cast and replicate an Akuaba doll in metals employing practice base and descriptive research methodologies. The results indicated that the casting of Akuaba doll in metals was durable and able to withstand the harsh conditions of the atmosphere for a longer period. It is recommended that emerging contemporary artists, researchers and students would acquire the knowledge and be able to cast and replicate other art forms into metals for the preservation and
promotion of traditional art and cultural practices.