MAYOMBE

Description

Leo Bittremieux missionary of Scheut, lived and worked in around 1910 in Mayombe, a wooded area north of the mouth of the Congo River. It led not only missionary work, but will also collectionna hundreds of statues and objects made by the local population, Bayombe. These pieces were shipped by boat at the University of Leuven. They arrived at the Ethnographic Museum, where were formed including colonial officials. Once in Belgium, they still moved many times. During the division of the University of Leuven in rg6o years, the precious collection was divided between the two parties. The unique and fascinating statuettes then disappeared for years in academic repositories. They were rarely exposed to the public. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the independence of Congo, M Leuven museum decided to hand them in the spotlight. The collection is completed with some exceptional pieces from the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren. This book accompanies the exhibition. Also part of the detailed catalog, a series of short essays offer insights into the origin and meaning of these ethnographic objects. The authors highlight the anthropological and historical context, paint a picture of Bittremieux colonial and missionary work of his order brothers show how and why such statuettes were collected and exhibited in the past. The tests are illustrated with original photographs. That’s why this book provides an exceptional look, not only the tradition of Western collection, but also on the Mayombe himself in the early twentieth century, when the company underwent a profound change under the influence of colonization. This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition “Mayombe. Master of magic. “Which was held at M Museum Leuden of 8 October 2010 to 23 janvier2011 and April 8, 2011 to July 3, 2011 at the Museum of Louvain-la-Neuve, in partnership with the KU Leuden, the Catholic University of Louvain and the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren.