Togu Na – The African Dogon “House of Men, House of Words”, by Tito and Sandro Spini (Rizzoli 1977), is a beautiful photo book of the traditional village hub used in Mali, West Africa.
One thousand years ago the African Dogon escaped persecution from neighboring tribes by building their habitats on the inaccessible cliffs of Bandiagara in Mali. They remained isolated for centuries, but eventually were forced out of isolation by a succession of ethnographic expeditions.
As this book’s dramatic photographs illustrate, Dogon architecture, mythology and ancestral rites are not only closely linked but provide an effective substitute for the Dogon’s lack of writing. The best example is the togu na, the beautifully decorated chief construction of every Dogon village, in which the elders meet to perform their religious ceremonies and to settle all legal matters of the community. Architects, photographers and experts of African history, the authors have succeeded in accurately reading the spiritual and religious “data” contained in one of the most venerable of African arts yet known.
– Tito and Sandro Spini, Togu Na – The African Dogon “House of Men, House of Words” (Rizzoli, 1977), book description
The text is in English. The book is profusely illustrated with black-and-white photographs.
Our copy is in nice condition. The pages are clean; no markings. The binding is fine. The dust jacket has a tear on the front and shows signs of shelf wear, edge wear, and use. /There is an old price sticker on the back cover.
