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MUSEUM NEWS
The Religions of Ecstasy
GENEVA—A comprehensive temporary exhibition at
the Musée d’Ethnographie in Geneva will examine the
many and varied religions, past and present, of the African
continent. Beginning on May 18, 2018, Afrique.
Les religions de l’extase (Africa. The Religions of Ecstasy)
will present nearly 400 pieces, most hitherto unseen,
from the MEG’s collection. Ethnographic objects, photographs,
fi lmed interviews, and video installations will be
used to illustrate the dynamism of the diversity of the
forms of worship in Africa, as well as those in Europe and
the Americas where religious practices were disseminated
through the diaspora.
The Religions of Ecstasy will be an immersive experience
in magical and mystical ambience. Here religion
hinges on the connections between living and invisible
beings. The show’s common thread is religious ecstasy—
losing oneself in the quest for communion and
connection with the sacred world. This special state is
sought after in all the African forms of belief, including
ancestor cults and “possession” cults, as well as adapted
into Abrahamic religions and magical practices. The show
will be divided into four parts: monotheistic religions,
“fundamental” autochthonous African religions, possession
cults, and the magico-religious African universes.
Contemporary photographs will illustrate the fervor of
worshippers during rituals or pilgrimages, and videos will
examine and explain their perspectives. The show will be
on view through January 6, 2019, and will be the subject
of an in-depth article in our next issue.
LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM:
Mask. Wobe,
coastal region, Liberia. Late
19th–early 20th century.
Wood, leather, iron, cotton. H: 33 cm.
Acquired in 1935 from Edmond Morlet
of Brussels.
MEG, inv. ETHAF 014816.
© MEG. Photo: J. Watts.
Mask, gyéla lu zahouli (fi ali)
ou ndoma. Guro or Baule,
Côte d’Ivoire.
20th century.
Wood. H: 50.5 cm.
Collected by Hans Himmelheber in
1963. Acquired from him in 1967.
MEG, inv. ETHAF 033697.
© MEG. Photo: J. Watts.
Power fi gure, nkisi nkondi.
Kongo, Dondo, Bwende,
Mouyondzi region(?), Rep.
of the Congo. 20th century.
Wood, iron, fi ber. H: 72 cm.
Acquired in Brussels in 1930, probably
from Guillaume Dehondt.
MEG, inv. ETHAF 021318.
© MEG. Photo: J. Watts.
RIGHT: Theo Eshetu
(b. 1958), Veiled Woman on
a Beachfront, Iamo island,
Kenya, 2011.
Capture from a video installation.
© Axis Gallery.
LEFT: Fabrice Monteiro
(b. 1972), Holy II, from the
series “Vues de l’esprit,”
2014 (2017), edition 5/5.
350 gr. Hahnemühle etching paper.
167 x 125 cm.
MEG, inv. ETHPH 421484.
RIGHT: Statuette of a
Catholic. Republic of the
Congo or DR Congo. Early
20th century.
Wood. H: 13.4 cm.
Acquired in Paris in 1930.
MEG, inv. ETHAF 012950.
© MEG. Photo: J. Watts.