Yoruba maternity statue, Nigeria, c. 1960

According to Yoruba belief, children are blessings from the gods. Before the advent of modern medicine, women prayed to certain fertility deities for the birth of a healthy child. This figure has no cult attributes due to its kneeling position; it seems to be more of a gesture of respect, devotion and submission, which could indicate that this representation is probably a petitioner rather than a deity. Height: 58 cm Reproduced: Catalogue “Africa Babel: the Art of a Continent”, p. 72 left.
 
Exhibitions:
2022-2024 Island of Fuerteventura “Art Africa: Ancestral Light”. Lighthouse of the Entallada. Cabildo of Fuerteventura.
2021-2022 Panama City. Government of Panama. “Art Africa: the spirit of the ancestors”. Ministry of Culture Headquarters. Casco Viejo.
2019-2020 Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Caja Canarias Foundation. “Africa-Babel: the art of a Continent”. Headquarters Plaza Patriotismo.
2013-2015 Museum of Art of Africa and Oceania (Madao). La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia.
2005 “Black Africa”, Leather Museum.
2004 “Black Africa”. Caixa Laietana Foundation, Barcelona. Main exhibition hall