It is an unfortunate fact that East Africa is mostly known for its political instability and poverty, as the region is also home to some very fine works of art and cultural traditions. The history of East Africa has been one of repression and cultural imperialism, although this has done little to stop the flow of native art into the modern day.

Prior to 1498, the history of East Africa was mostly split among the various tribes and settlements by the Arabs and Persians. However, the arrival of Portuguese explorers led to a boom in European colonization, which had a limiting influence on the many native cultures and forms of art. With most of the territory divided between the British and German Empires, East Africa remained under the weight of European politics and culture until the end of colonial rule, which lasted from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Traditional art and wood carvings in the East African region was created for communal and spiritual purposes. This includes the elaborate wooden masks created by tribes like the Makonde in Mozambique. Other wood carvings include ujamaa, elaborate sculptures that depict genealogy trees. Meanwhile, sculptors in Zimbabwe are renowned, both historically and today, for their skill at turning stone into expressive designs, particularly for the family-owned work known as "flow sculptures."

Meanwhile, the export of traditional art from East Africa continues as it did during the colonial era. Although many locals continue to produce artwork for their own people, the market for native art remains strong throughout the rest of the world. It had an influence on Pablo Picasso and Surrealist artists in the 1920s and 1930s, inspiring them to break away from traditional European forms and embrace what they called "primitivism."

Today, the art scene is quickly growing in East Africa, especially in major cities like Nairobi. Artists and art collectors like Camille Wekesa and Eltayeb Dawel Bait have made a strong case for the promotion of art from countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Sudan to the rest of the world. Organizations like the Circle Art Agency have emerged to fill the modern niche of African art buyers and to provide a platform for artists who blend European and native styles together.

To learn more about the rich history and the vibrant present state of the East African art world, you can visit the Circle Arts Agency in Nairobi, the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and the Museum for African Art in New York City.

Image by Greg Neate on Flickr