Books
Different in approach, style and design, the two books signed by Ly Dumas open the doors of knowledge to an archetypal and secret world encoded by signs and symbols. It is no coincidence that Pearls and Ndop are the subjects of the author’s first books. They represent two sacred coordinates through which the Cameroonian soul dialogues with the material world.
”My royal ancestry, the magnificent ceremonies held in Palaces furnished with pearls-and-cowries-covered objects, the outfits of kings and nobles, made of Ndop, shaped me to my core. I grew up with all these, so lived, breathed and worked for decades in the multi-sensory, synesthetic world of African textiles and beads. But beyond the splendour of the festivities, they also brought a great responsibility to preserve and enhance these age-old arts.
Over the last fifty years, thousands of fabrics, hundreds of kilometres of cloth and countless beaded objects have passed through my hands and heart. Am I a specialist? Perhaps I am. I dare to hope so. I’m even more of a lover of them, a passionate one.
In the elaboration of my books, I had the support of the greatest anthropologists in African cultures, such as the late professors Jean Paul Notue and Louis Perrois. Other specialists and doctors in African art like Helene Joubert, the Wiesenberg family, Idrissou Njoya, Danilo Lovisi, and many enthusiastic lovers of Cameroonian arts and crafts joined us in our endeavours. From the very beginning, I was seconded by talented journalist, Daniela Ulieriu my Roumanian Yoruba princess, coordinator of the books.”
I. PEARLS
„Perles, couleurs d’Afrique” is Ly Dumas’s first book, printed at the Gourcuff & Gradenigo publishing house in 2009. It took two and a half years of work, research, discoveries, and selections of photographs revolving around this meaning-charged tiny entity. It is an album – precious object, revealing both the author’s passion for pearls and some of the art created or collected by Ly Dumas.
The Pearl, a Receptacle of Kè
A pearl is made of glass, stone (or precious stone) brought from the depths of the earth or ocean, metal, wood, seed, shell, ore, fruit pit, bone, animal tusk, etc. It has to be pierced to be strung on a thread and worn as a talisman. But the hole is also where the spirit, which will animate the object, hides. Then, and only then, will it turn into a pearl, a vessel of the force called Ke, the vital energy, the principle that breaths life into things and drives the Universe forward. An equivalent of the Chinese Qi concept.
Pearls, Sacred Entities
In traditional cultures, since prehistory, pearls are considered sacred. Thanks to their magical and supernatural powers, they provide the wearer with protection, healing and fertility. They are also an expression of strength (which is of divine origin), beauty, prestige and wealth. Other aesthetic or monetary functions, message encoding and transmission add to their roles. Beads have a particular value which is rooted in our deep emotions.
Pearls have always been a part of artist Ly Dumas’s life, and she honoured them in sensitive ways. Dozens of overwhelmingly beautiful beaded objects are created / manufactured in her Cameroonian workshops, every year. Her fashion creations are no less impressive.
II. NDOP
NDOP, the fabric of Cameroonian royal courts and secret societies
„NDOP, the fabric of Cameroonian royal courts and secret societies” is the second of Ly Dumas’s books, published by Gourcuff & Gradenigo in 2021. The research, photography and writing took almost five years. To see it through, Ly Dumas gathered notable anthropologists, African art experts and journalists. Together they shaped the first ever volume dedicated to the NDOP fabric. After it reached the public, the textile enjoyed a major local revival and several exhibitions around the world.
Ndop, probably the most elaborate fabric in the world
The manufacturing process of Ndop is nothing short of a powerful societal bond. It covers thousands of kilometres, from the North of Cameroon to its Western regions, and involves men and women from all walks of life, united in this great and traditional art. Beyond being the colour of the sky, blue is the expression of the supernatural, the ancestors and the forces of the spirit. White, used for purification rites or to keep away death, means also awakening and protection, thanks to the influence of the Kè, the power of life. Below are some of the author’s ideas, feelings and connections to this book.
”Here I reveal to you some little-known features of the textile, which is at the same time my family history, my source of artistic inspiration, and the emblem of the royal and mystical power of my country. The mystery of the occult messages remains protected. It’s a unique fabric because it carries intimate statements that meet the great History.
Surrounded by specialists, I try to unveil its historical, technical and anthropological facets. The genesis of the Ndop book goes back ten years, shortly after my first one, dedicated to Pearls, was published.
Its spiritual dimension goes beyond textile design. The patterns of this cloth show the interplay between the sacred and the material worlds. A feature of our culture that endures and flourishes today, inspiring new creations. I dream of preserving and giving it the attention it deserves by the younger generations, my country’s future.
Queen Maveun Tawa
As a child, I loved to caress Mama Olo’O, my maternal grandmother Maveun Tawa’s royal back, studded with scarification marks. She was a queen mother, one of the favourite and influential sisters of the king of Bangangté. The engraved patterns on her body, which took up Ndop motifs, testifying to her rank, granted her the same privileges as the sovereign.”
Ly Dumas