Every saturday there is a flea market along the river Main in Frankfurt. The two rows of flea markets are covered by a beautiful alley of plantan trees. I often visit the flea market to talk to Willy, a merchant from Congo, who twice a year travels back to The Democratic Republic of Congo to buy cultural mechandise.
Willy had a figure, which had it's left foot eaten by termites in Congo. The figure is a Hemba ancestor and is used to create balance in the society and to foretell one's destiny. I had an idea to make a restoration of the foot with wood from the platan tree that was standing by his shop.
The African oil palm has its origins in tropical Africa, but was introduced to Asia, where it was grown as a monoculture and commercialized in 1917. Today Asian entrepreneurs have begun to reproduce palm oil in D.R. Congo.
The figure was standing by my bed for some time. One night I was consulted by the Hemba asking to restore the foot with palm oil soap instead of platan wood.
THIS OBJECT IS REPORTED STOLEN FROM GALLERI IMAGE, AARHUS, THE 16TH OF MARCH 2009
