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Georges Liautaud,
AIDA HWEDO AND THE TREE IN WHICH SHE LIVES.
1958. Forged Iron, 35" h., Haiti

to Thompson, "exalts the power of the privileged person and points to a universe of aesthetic and intellectual potentiality."27 Ejagham captives included among their members the Abakua, a male leopard society. Like its counterpart in Africa - the Ngbe, the Abakua served to promote high values, governance, and through ideograms, invoke the presence of the ancestors.28 The Ejagham homeland, the Cross River region of eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, is noted for its variety of art forms. Checkered patterned costumes are reinterpretations of spotted leopard hides, traditional garments - modifications in response to the new Cuban environment.29

African retentions and reinterpretations (unconscious and conscious) have shaped the art and culture of the Caribbean. Early examples of art that show African retentions can be found throughout the Caribbean, even in those areas such as Puerto Rico where large numbers of African slaves were not introduced.30

The existence of slavery helped to perpetuate solidarity among the various African groups, because the slaves were thrown together and mutual cooperation was needed for survival. The slaves created a world that reinforced their traditional beliefs; their participation in rituals, festivals and religious ceremonies, helped to ensure the persistence of African patterns of expression long after Emancipation. 

The Haitian Epicenter

That the art of the people serves as the foundation for the vital cultural expression of a nation is no better demonstrated than in Haiti. After winning its independence from France in 1804, some artistic activity was encouraged by Henri Christophe. Academies for art instruction were soon established. However, it was not until about 1915 that portraiture and religious painting ceased to be the most important type of artistic instruction. The visit of African American artist William Scott in 1930 inspired Pétion Savain to paint, and he soon has followers who later became a part of Centre d'Art, which was founded by DeWitt Peters in 1943. Centre d'Art separated from the Haitian-American Institute and opened its doors in 

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