The impact of the European cultural background in the study of Saharan rock art Example: Josephine, who was sold by her sisters a lecture on the impact of culture A lecture of the impact of colonial culture on indigenous population art

Abstract

During the 1930s, French Captain M. Bernans made several scientific expeditions to the TassiliN-Ajjer Plateau and its environs in the central Sahara in North Africa, where there are thousands of paintings and engravings dating back to Neolithic, around the eighth millennium. The administration of the Museum of Man subsequently sent the reports of these missions to a very famous religious man named L'Abbé Henri Breuil, who decided to postpone these drawings by an old friend, Jean Bouyssonie. Breuil's study focused on the interpretation of the scenes and human groups presented. According to him, the author readily acknowledges his experience in deciphering painted rocks, even to the extent of being able to understand the artistic mindset of the creators of these frescoes. In reality, the influence of his European and religious or Christian culture on his interpretations of Saharan-African paintings, which are far from being related to his own culture, will easily trap this decipherer! Today, as specialists, we will re-examine some scenes deciphered by Breuil, focusing on his subjectivity, interpretation, and cultural judgment. However, he remains far from being accepted by specialists today