When first seen in the Western world in 1900, African art was viewed as strange and exotic. Yet these works, the booty of colonial wars, would influence Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani and change the course of 20th century art. This program, while recognizing this impact, introduces noted experts who explain the importance of reappraising African art within its own cultural context. Then local Malian inhabitants in a Bamana village and the walled city of Djenne comment on the function of art and the role of the artist in their society.