baga - Guinea, Conakry (No reserve price)

Fetish statue of the Baga of Guinea Conakry.

The Bagataï, or Baga country, is located around the towns of Boké, Boffa and Kamsar, in Lower Guinea, i.e., in the Maritime Guinea region. The Bagas also occupy many islands of Lower Guinea, such as the Loos Islands off the coast of Conakry, where they are indeed the first inhabitants. Indeed, Conakry, capital of the Republic of Guinea, derives from the Baga word “konakiri,” just as the majority of the names of its neighborhoods and surrounding communes.

Mostly Muslim, they nevertheless include a strong Catholic community, with a long-standing Christianization. Grand fetishists, they worship local spirits and masks, such as the powerful spirit "Ninkinanka" (healing and fertility), "Bansonyi" in the Soussou language, the "Nimba", representation of fertility and fecundity. They also had an astral cult. These cults are still very much alive. Indeed the Supreme God is said in the Baga language to be "Kanu" or "Atshol" (literally the medicine). Patriarchal societies, the Bagas are nevertheless characterized by a strong presence of women at all levels of decision-making, a sign of a society formerly matriarchal."} {