Study Of The Development Of Modernity Through A Tanzanian Sandal Pair - Research Paper Example

Task Study of the development of modernity through a Tanzanian sandal pair This is a pair of sandals purported to have been introduced in East Africa from India through trade in the late 13th century. It is made of a carved wooden sole and a projection made of ivory and a coiled snake on the tip. The surface is decorated with a pattern of repeated lines together with some Islamic based art. There is evidence of wear by the patterns on the surface of the sandal. It is carved to look like a footprint with straight corners. The sandal is displayed at the Metropolitan Art Museum together with other such kind of art pieces. The art is a part of a collection of other Islam pieces. It was made in the late 20th century with influence from Indian and Islamic cultures. It was a bequest from John Eliot to the museum in 1997. Information about who made it first is not clear, but it is said to be African made with a lot of influence from India (metmuseum.com). To remember history and historical events, Africans used several sorts of aids to help recall information. For instance; art, music and even specific instruments like musical instruments are used for such purposes. We can consider various aspects about this item; where was it made? Why was it made? What is the message behind it? How does it represent modernity? What is its general importance? All these are questions that will be discussed in this paper. There are many factors about this item that make it intriguing as discussed below. Beauty, inherent meaning, skill, fulfilled intent and uniqueness are some of the attributes, which can be used to identify important pieces of art (Molyneaux 78). All these characteristics are present in this sandal probably why it is a part of the important collection in this museum and was recently voted as one of the most important items in a social site. Since beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, everyone has their own opinion about the beauty of anything. When it comes to such items as these, most artists will agree on certain things that make an item like this important. Looking at this pair of sandals, there are reccurring shapes and patterns on the surface which catches the eye. This is one characteristic that makes this an important item. An item made at a particular time contains characteristics and information about that time. There is always some inherent meaning to every item. As stated above, most communities especially Africans used art and art like items to preserve historical information. This kind of item arrived in Africa during the 13th century using trade. During this time, the ocean and water bodies were the main ways of doing international trade. Also, Islamic religion had been established along the coastal region. It can be said that the inherent meaning of this item was to depict trade as a form of modernization. People were able to obtain new ideas from other places and use the ideas in conjunction with their knowledge to make improvements. According to information from the museum, Islam was a religion that was manifested not only in the way of life but also using architecture and art. This particular item could symbolize the effect of Islam and also the exchange of ideas through trade. Sandals were made even before the 13th century, but this is a sandal that used the available materials to come up with something creative. Previously, sandals were made using leather, but this item is unique in that they used ivory and wood. The Tanzanian sandal pair was also prepared in such a way that it to looks like an exaggerated foot print. What could be termed as very unique in this pair of sandals is that it helped in spreading and ensuring the sustenance of Islam in an object of adornment. This was important because of the pastoralist lifestyle of the East African people; they had to keep moving in search of animal pasture so the architecture was not a good way of sustaining the Islamic figurative expressions. Every piece of item mostly has a hidden meaning to it. It is created to convey a message, and it therefore needs to be studied carefully. However, a piece of item or art should be able to convey the right message; it should not give room for misinterpretation (Molyneaux 198). The questions any person should be able to answer by looking at historically important items are: when was the item made? Who was it made for? What does artist intend to express? Studying this item, we could say that it is a piece of adornment meant for everyday wear. The snake on the sandal is meant to show the East African people love for icons; this is combined with the repeated pattern drawings symbolic of Islam (metmuseum.com). It could also be said that it is symbolic in such a way to show just how much Islam had influenced East Africa to the extent that something they used in their everyday life had a symbol of Islam in it. The inherent meaning in the sandal could show how far trade had gone by the 13th century; it must have been widely spread in the coastal region. Famous painters, actors and people in different other fields are described using their skill and technique. Each one of them has a special skill that they use and is represented in their pieces of work. We can say that this item was made with a lot of skill if we compare it with other items of its kind that were made at that time. The cutting tools were not that advanced yet the carver came out with a footprint look-alike for a sandal. The message that was being conveyed here is that there was development in terms of technology and the use of tools. The ability to embellish the tip of the ivory with a coiled snake is an advancement in how effective tools had become. During this period, shoes were made to look the same, these ones however are different in the sense that one can see the difference between the left and right shoe. Communication is quite an authoritative tool that has been employed in many various ways. During ancient times, there were very few modes of communication and people used different means to express themselves. This particular item can be said to many convey ideas in terms of improvement and technology. The shoes are made of wood and ivory thong. This was probably a way of conveying the message that available materials can be used to produce items other than houses or even furniture. It also depicts that wood was one of the raw natural resources exploited at that time. Ivory was a very special material telling us that the shoes could have been made for royal people or the rich. At that time, people used sharpened tools to come up with beautiful patterns like the ones on the surface of the shoes. Being of Indian origin, it could be said that improvements were made to it such as the Islamic based patterns. In this way, they could trade their improved item and in turn industrialization keeps growing. The main form of economic activity apart from agriculture at that time could have been traded. This was one way with which connections could be made across borders. Modernization can practically be explained as a change from agriculture based to industrial based economic activities. Historically, there were different ways to symbolize modernization and one of them is through items such as art and carvings. In Tanzania the issue is the same (Fitzpatrick 99). The economy was basically agriculture based until industries started cropping up. Industrialization can be said to be the mother of modernity where industries helped in fueling the process. Arabs invaded the African coast before the missionaries having arrived there through the Indian Ocean. With them they brought education and other forms of modernization. The Arabs taught the local people how to read and write and with this people developed an interest to acquire more knowledge (Fitzpatrick 265). This was the beginning of Africa being modernized and linking with the international community. This item shows how the African coast was now open bringing with it new information and new items. Africa could now see whatever was happening in the world out there. Traditionally in East African coast, people walked barefoot, this is till the case in some communities to date. This item is one way of showing just how much Africa had gone in terms of innovation and getting ideas from the rest of the world. Shoes first identified in Greece had travelled all around the world and even to the African coast. The Africans improved it in their own way to make it into their own identity. This is one way to show how modernization developed all around the world and in Africa. The fact that Africans were ready to embrace this item in their own culture shows how much they were ready to embrace other people’s cultures very readily together with the modernity that comes with it (Fitzpatrick 254). This is probably what got Africans into trouble in the first place enabling colonization. Africans embraced Islam and it even went to the extent of influencing their artistic developments. This item is one way of understanding the way Africans accepted Islam and other cultures and in the process they became more enlightened. They used the knowledge they had together with the one they had gained and in the process, they were able to develop bringing in modernization. As stated above, communication is very important as it allows people to obtain new information and ideas and in the process, they can improve themselves. This pair of sandals was not just a way of communication but it was also a way of telling people that they could utilize available materials to their advantage. Some of these resources are scarce in other countries and trade is the only way some of these resources can reach those other countries. Africans were traditionally pastoralists, keeping livestock and doing small scale farming. They wanted to find a way of preserving the information on what they had learnt for future generations which was almost impossible with their nomadic lifestyle. This is an everyday adornment that could be used as an easy means of passing and preserving this information. Improvements could occur through modernization with time. In summary, this paper has explored the uses, the uniqueness of this item, it’s probably hidden meaning and a slight history about it. The paper has also explored just how much the item shows modernization on the African coast specifically in Tanzania. The item can thus be said to be a very useful historical item. Works Cited “African Art”. New World Encyclopedia. 2008. Print. Ian, Molyneaux. The Art of Application Performance Testing: Help for Programmers and Quality Assurance. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Print. Mary, Fitzpatrick. Tanzania. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print Tanzanian Sandal pair The Metropolitan Museum Of Art n.d Web. April 25, 2012. Read More