Sub-Saharan Africa is a large area of enormous diversity. To cope with the task of creating an overview of the art of Africa, this chapter proceeds thematically rather than chronologically or geographically. This provides an opportunity to see art in the context of its social, political, and religious purposes.

Goals for this chapter include:

• See how art plays a role in the important societal goal of the continuation of life from one generation to the next.

• Observe the use of art in the initiation of young people into adulthood.

• Witness the attempt to use art to communicate with the spirit world.

• Grasp how art helps to establish and maintain order in society.

• See how art has been used to perpetuate the memory of ancestors.