Selected essays. IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH. 394pp, GERMANY. LIT VERLAG.

The Thomas Wheelock Collection is the largest private assemblage of works of Burkina Faso art in the world. Now accessible to the public for the first time, this book reveals the country's enormous artistic range. Featured here are examples of the intricate and brightly coloured masks for which Burkina Faso is best known, and which are used throughout the country in traditional ceremonies and celebrations. The collection also contains a multitude of other ceremonial objects such as costumes, dance ornaments, statues, instruments and pieces of jewellery as well as beautifully crafted everyday items including spoons, pots, baskets, stools and chairs. The pieces in this marvellously panoramic collection reflect a country rich in cultural diversity, tradition, and artistry. 300 col illus, 424pp, GERMANY. PRESTEL.

The art of the Lobi, an ethnic group of southwest Burkina Faso, has given rise to a world of unusual objects that can be divided into two broad functional groups, one characterised by ancestral cult objects, the other, by figures used in strictly private and propitiatory practices. This society, among the most complex in the Voltaic area, has developed an art form in which the sculptures serve as an everyday reminder of the group's ancestors. The eternal presence of the ancestors' spirits, whether they are recognised as official ancestors or simply as 'incomplete ancestors', determines the production of objects, which are used in the management of social and religious affairs. Annotated bib, col & b/w illus, 147pp, ITALY. FIVE CONTINENTS.

Born in a Dagara village in Burkina Faso and educated in both the European and African modes of religious worship, the author describes his life mediating between cultures and sharing living African spiritual traditions with those who struggle with the contemporary crisis of the spirit. 311pp, USA. PENGUIN BOOKS, 0140194967

A survey of the society, kingdoms, political life and customs of the Mossi of Burkina Faso. Richly illustrated with colour photographs. Includes a guide to further reading and a glossary. Index, map, 64pp, USA. ROSEN PUBLISHING COMPANY, 0823919846