Objects
Mahmoud Malik Saako

Anonymus, Koma Figurine. Probably 13.-19. century. Ghana, Terracotta, H: 25 cm. Museum Fünf Kontinente (Copyright the museum)

Broadening the Knowledge about West African Art

The Koma figurines, donated to the Museum in 1989 through René David (Zürich), came from Northern Ghana that include Upper West, Upper East, and Northern Regions which were hitherto known as the northern territories or northern Ghana. The term Koma is perhaps limited to the Moagduri District (formerly of West Mamprusi District) of North East Region which was formerly under the Northern Region until it was divided into Northern, Savannah, and North East Regions in 2020. The Komaland as it is known covers an area approximately 100km by 100km. The discovery of the Koma clay figurines in Ghana has broadened our knowledge and understanding of African Art and West African in particular. These terracotta art pieces have provided us with different perspectives of northern Ghana's art but are very difficult to contextualize historically or connect the current inhabitants in the aforementioned geographical area to these Koma figurines. All attempts so far have largely been hypothetical in nature.