Alumna donates West African artifacts to Art Gallery 'Jane Gold’s African Treasures' celebrate Mandinka cultural

"Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions," said President John F. Kennedy at his 1963 commencement address.

These words inspired Eastern Connecticut State University alumna Jane Gold '64, along with thousands of other Americans, to embark on various journeys around the world to aid in building international social infrastructures

During the week of Oct. 5, Eastern displayed "Jane Gold's African Treasures" in the Art Gallery, displaying a variety of Mandinka and other West African cultural items collected during her journey. Gold's donation offers a unique glimpse into the culture, customs and practices of the Mandinka and other West African communities. The collection, now permanently at Eastern, will allow students to explore and connect with other cultures for years to come.

"We are extremely grateful for Gold's donation," said Art Gallery Coordinator Julia Wintner. "It will serve both as a teaching resource about Africa for our students, as well as an inspiration for the opportunities that await them for travel and study abroad after graduation."

Gold spent two years in Monrovia, Liberia, as a volunteer with the Peace Corps. She was among the first Peace Corps volunteers to arrive in Liberia after graduating from Willimantic State Teachers College (now Eastern Connecticut State University). She worked as an assistant at a small hospital founded by an Israeli doctor. Many Peace Corps workers volunteered in developing countries to help develop social infrastructure.

During her two years in Liberia, Gold had purchased various cultural artifacts from Mandinka traders. Two of her artifacts were fertility dolls, an Akwaba and a Fante Akuaba, which are worn by women hoping to conceive.

Gold's collection includes two terracotta "memorial heads," which are made to commemorate a person's death. Traditionally crafted by women, the terracotta portraits display features that signify success in West African culture. Other items in the collection include two Bamana Jonyene Horsemen figures and various incense pots.

Liberia, a small West African nation, was established by the American Colonization Society in the 19^th century. The organization claimed that freed Black Americans would be more prosperous in Africa and encouraged emigration to the country, although it is argued that the American Colonization Society's goal was to expel African Americans from the United States.

Settlers in Liberia quickly created a society that mirrored the United States, with a rigid class system and an elite class of Americo-Liberians who had disproportionate power in relation to the various native ethnic groups of Liberia, such as the Kpelle, Grebo and Mandingo. Native Liberians were denied birthright citizenship in their own country until 1904.