A CRITIQUE ON THE UTILIZATION OF INDIGENOUS MATERIAL CULTURE AS AN ART FORM OF COMMUNICATION AND EXPRESSION AMONG FEW COMMUNITIES IN KENYA

Initially, it was believed that Africa as a continent did not have art, at the onset of the 20th century, after it was established that African art did indeed exist, it was termed as Primitive art. Traditional African culture has always incorporated art forms in their daily lives as a way of communication for various reasons. The following article is intends to give a brief review of how art forms have been utilized by various communities in Kenya and what meanings those communities derive from their artworks with relation to culture and tradition. In the hope that it will reveal to the rest of the world what Africa defines as art and how they incorporate it into their daily lives. The study was conducted in Kenya using quantitative data collected from libraries and museums and past recordings on Kenyan culture.