The Continent of Africa
Since
most anthropologists agree that the human race realized its beginning
on or near the African Continent, I selected this unique land formation
of our Planet Earth as my first of 24 regional paintings. Africa's 11,506,000
miles range over some of the most diverse - and legendary - landscapes
in the world, from the banks of the Nile River, the sands of the Sahara
Desert, and the jungles of the equatorial forests to the peaks of the
Kilimanjaro.
As a land of urban and wilderness extremes, aboriginal, and modern lifestyles,
Africa is perhaps best illustrated by its southern region. Its citizens
range from the hunter-gatherer Bush people survivors in the harsh climate
of the Kalahari (represented by my Bushman hunter friend in the lower
center of the painting) to the urbanites of modern Johannesburg in South
Africa, with its high-tech industrial complex. Among the vanishing cultures
of the African continent, the Bushmen exemplified for me the very best
of the African spirit. They shared with me their special humor, open laughter
and graciousness in ways that exceeded the best definition of the word
hospitality.
"My sincere hope for this book is that it will serve to remind its readers and its author of the need to give renewed understanding and respect for the innate human value and importance of all our global citizens."
Copyright © 1999, R. Padre Johnson