African crafts - Lynne Garner

Children will enjoy trying out five traditional African crafts by following the clear, well-illustrated instructions in this book. Adinkra cloth uses a block-printing technique which children can recreate using potato prints. In Angola, Kenya and Ghana pots are traditionally made by the 'coiling' method using long sausages of clay that build up the pot from the rim to the foot. Mask-making is an old tradition in Africa, and in this book children will find out how to make and decorate their own mask using a balloon and papier mache.;Music making of all forms is very important in Africa, with a great emphasis on rhythm. Lynne Garner explains how to make an African-style drum. Kente strip weaving is traditionally done by the Ashanti people of Ghana, weaving narrow strips of cloth which are then stitched together to make beautiful, colourful garments. The book is illustrated throughout with the author's own photographs showing the making processes step by step, and the African crafts and craftspeople she met on her own visit to Africa, along with African objects from the British Museum's own collections.