Artists and Their Public by Nigel Abercrombie (review)

342 Books ignorance. Oral traditions playa vital role in the transmission of the cultural heritage from generation to generation. Ndeti makes reference to the various government measures (e.g., 1974-78 Development Plan) to foster functional literacy and to Adult Education, which is dealt with by various Ministeries as well as by the University of Nairobi and by private agencies. In Kenya cultural programmes are run by the government, by private organizations or by the government in conjunction with private or international organizations. He describes in some detail the mass media, wild life, sports activities, the annual international motor rally known as Kenya Safari, annual agricultural shows, publications of the East African Literature Bureau and of the East African Publishing House, etc. There is also the active Kenya Cultural Centre and the National Council of Arts and Culture striving to revive the traditional performing and fine arts. Reference is made to the various legal measures (and their loopholes) to protect the country's archaeological and palaeontological monuments (listed in Appendix I). He criticizes the domination of the cultural scene by Western (and to some extent Indian) ways of life and values since the colonial times. However, he sees encouraging signs in the contemporary trends in music and painting and sculpture and mentions the researches and recordings ofthe traditional African music, the efforts ofElimo Njau and his Paa-ya-Paa art gallery in Nairobi"as the nucleus ofa national gallery ofKenya and artists, such as Maloba, Nnaggenda and Soi. Mbughuni in his report on Tanzania emphasizes the overall effects of the socialistic policy of the country-Union of the Republics ofTanganyika and Zanzibar came into being on 26th April, 1964. He describes the administrative machinery: Commissioner for Culture and his Culture Division (1963), Ministry of National Education, the Five Year Plan (1964-68), as well as the museums, archives, education policies and the cultural facilities by way ofmass media and library services. Also discussed are the traditional arts and crafts, as well as modem artists, such as Ntiro, and the revival of the traditional sculpture by, for example, Makonde. At the end there is a bibliography and appendix of organizational charts. Overall, a picture emerges of the strivings in both of these countries towards preservation, promotion and perpetuation of the elements oftheir traditional cultures and assimiltions ofthese with 'outside' influences. A total cultural autarky in today's world is not only impossible but also suicidal for any country, developing or developed. Artists and Their Public. Nigel Abercrombie. Unesco Press, Paris, 1975. 123 pp. Paper. Reviewed by David Friend· This book is based on the broad discussions and papers of two Unesco meetings. One held in 1968 in Budapest, Hungary, on The Development of Cultural Centers and the second in 1970 in Ottawa, Canada, on Arts Education for the General Public. The author not only includes the main points raised by 27 internationally-known experts but also refers to past Unesco projects and, particularly, to other cultural organizations, including the Arts Council of Great Britain, of which he was Secretary General for a number of years. These are discussed under the following headings: The Gap between Artists ofAll the Arts and the Public; The Plight of Artists in Modem Society; Cultural Centers: a New Direction; The Hoped for Solution: Art Education for All; and Cultural Action Now. Lifelong education is indicated as the ultimate purpose of cultural policy, but it is doubtful whether the gap between artists and public can really be bridged. Certainly not until the public has a clear idea of how artists think and feel about art. And probably not, unless the public learns to internalize the artistic process and experiences the challenge and mastery of holistic unification. Consider the strong stand ofthe late painter Adolph Gottlieb ofthe U.S.A.: 'There is a sentimental attitude that longs for a reconciliation between artist and public ... the notion ofan organic society, within which the artist could exist harmoniously, is a Utopian fantasy .... The modem artist does not paint in relation to public needs or social needs-he paints only in relation to his own needs' [in D. Ashton, The New York School·P.O. Box 405, Menlo Park, CA 94025...