Imigongo
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Imigongo is an art form popular in Rwanda that is produced using cow dung. It is a traditional Rwandan art form made by the women. Often in black, white and red, popular themes include the spiral and geometric designs that are painted on walls, pottery, and canvas.
During the 1994 Genocide the skills involved almost disappeared. However, a women’s cooperative on the road to Rusumo in the Eastern Province near Kirehe has rescued and revived this uniquely Rwandan art form. Traditionally geometric designs are produced but as the women artists have grown in confidence they have begun to experiment with more modern, innovative images that convey the spirit of the Rwandan landscape, its flora and fauna and its people.
The images are produced using cow dung which is put onto wooden boards in spiral and geometric designs. The dung is left to harden and is then decorated using colours made from organic material. The traditional colours are black, white, red, grey and beige-yellow but increasingly other colours are used.
The imigongo images were originally found in Kibungo inside the walls of huts as "magical" decorations during the 18th century.
External links
- "More about Imigongo", John Pugh in Rwanda.
- "Art of Imigongo", Access Rwanda Safaris.
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