Amazigh Women’s Arts: Visual Expressions of Berber Identity

Cynthia Becker

Friday, January 20, 2017, 1:30 pm

Amazigh people (Berbers) are indigenous to North Africa. In Berber culture, women play a central role in creating the aesthetic and symbolic forms that make Amazigh identity unique—and they achieve considerable status and respect. Motherhood is highly esteemed by the Berbers, and women incorporate symbols and colors that relate to fertility into their textiles, clothing, tattoos, and hairstyles, as expressions of female agency. In this lecture, Cynthia Becker, Associate Professor in the History of Art and Architecture Department at Boston University, considers the artistic legacy of the Berbers within North African history by examining the creative output of Amazigh women. Despite societal influences that have changed daily life in Berber communities, women continue to produce and use art inspired by ancestral forms—especially during rural weddings—demonstrating the crucial role women play in preserving Amazigh heritage. Generously sponsored by the Martin A. Ryerson Fund.

Видео Amazigh Women’s Arts: Visual Expressions of Berber Identity канала Yale University Art Gallery