ABSTRACT This article examines the indigenous technologies of women artists in the rural communities of northeastern Ghana and southeastern Burkina Faso, who paint the earthen walls of their homes using pigments derived from the local environment. Much has been written about the artistic ingenuity of fresco painters in the Italian Renaissance. Less scholarly attention has been given to the skills of rural women artists in West Africa, who also use fresco-like techniques to plaster and paint the walls of their homes. Wall paintings are partly functional: they protect the household walls from harsh winds and rains. They have important social functions as well: through their paintings, women announce to onlookers that they are skilled artists who respect themselves and take pride in their culture. These processes are collaborative, involving all of the women from the household and neighbourhood; they are therefore key to the formation and maintenance of women’s relationships. This discussion highlights women as expert artists, detailing the technical processes of plastering and painting as well as their historical development through the collaborative efforts of women working across generations and communities.

中文翻译：

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土著专业知识：跨越时空的非洲女性艺术

摘要本文探讨了加纳东北部和布基纳法索东南部农村社区中女画家的本土技术，他们使用源自当地环境的颜料粉刷了房屋的土墙。关于意大利文艺复兴时期壁画画家的艺术独创性，已有很多著作。对西非农村女性艺术家的技能的学术关注较少，她们也使用壁画般的技术对房屋的墙壁进行抹灰和粉刷。壁画部分起作用：它们可以保护房屋的墙壁免受强风和雨水的侵害。他们也具有重要的社会功能：通过绘画，妇女向旁观者宣告他们是熟练的艺术家，他们尊重自己并为自己的文化感到自豪。这些过程是协作的，让所有家庭和邻里妇女参与其中；因此，它们是建立和维持妇女关系的关键。这次讨论着重介绍了作为专家艺术家的女性，详细介绍了通过代代相传和社区工作的妇女的共同努力，进行抹灰和绘画的技术过程及其历史发展。