Face Painting in Nuba, Southern Sudan, Africa.

 

The colours of body painting and special hairstyles show a person’s age group. The use of colours is strictly controlled. Red and white are the first colours that an older boy is allowed to use from about the age of eight. Black decorations are not normally permitted until his initiation into an older group. These ways are strictly monitored and if a younger man uses a colour that he is not entitled to the elders punish him. The young men have particularly elaborate hairstyles, divided up into sections. The younger boys have smaller styles. Often the painting on the body and face represents animals, with the shapes adapted to human shape.

WRITE:

What is your first impression?

What groups of young men in British culture decorate themselves with particular colours and paint their faces? (Clue: on Saturdays!)

Have you ever had you face painted? When? How did you feel?

Sometimes people change their appearance to go to pop concerts so they can identify with the star. Some stars have special markings, tattoos, piercing and haircuts that their fans copy. Robbie Williams, Pink, Christina Aguilera are some that may influence people in this way.  Pop stars from the Seventies ( David Bowie? Kiss? ask your parents) used to paint their faces.

How would you change your appearance to look completely different?

HOMEWORK:

1.Find an image of a face and print it out or work on it in a drawing programme and create decoration that is based on the African face painting.This may be a pattern to show power or occupation or status, you invent it.

2. WRITE what your images mean, say how the patterns convey the meanings.