Tembe : an Art Born of Marronnage
In the former Dutch colony of Surinam, enslaved people from the plantations, gave rise from the 17th century on to the creation of several communities known as Maroons. After campaigns which proved too expensive, the colonial authorities made a treaty with the Maroons in the mid-18th century recognizing them as free subjects. In Guyana, France did the same in 1860.
Maroon communities were comprised of women and men from many different African peoples who together created unique Amazonian institutions. When peace was restored, towards the mid-19th century, they invented a geometric form of art applied to the objects everyone produced for themselves and close friends and family. These interlacing motifs became dominant at the turn of the 20th century with the introduction and development of colour from the 1950s onward. Different, more or less individual styles have constantly renewed this Maroon art, called «tembe», up to the present day.
Thomas Mouzard
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Entretien de Carlos Adaoudé par Thomas Mouzard [PDF 0.8 Mo]
