However, in modern times, Africa has become the object of external plunder. Besides gold, ivory and jewels, people were also plundered as slaves. As a result, many white people have a sense of terror with some criminal psychology towards Africa, calling the hinterland of Africa "black heart", which is very mysterious. In this series, we include North Africa in the Mediterranean volume and Central and South Africa in a separate volume, which is considered from a cultural point of view. Even so, Central and South Africa has covered nearly 30 countries, and there are countless races. In addition to indigenous beliefs, there are many sects such as Islam, Catholicism and Christianity, and their cultures are extremely diverse. The editor of this volume is dr. U. Kutman. In the past 20 years, he has compiled dozens of books, covering the history of art and architecture, especially architecture in developing countries. Three critics he invited, two Africans and a British architect who has been designing in Africa for a long time, worked closely together to compile this document with such a wide coverage. Kutman himself called this work "the event of the century". In this comprehensive paper, the editor points out that the African continent has been oppressed by colonialism for a long time, and its independence is one or two generations later than Latin America and Asia. In this way, a unique phenomenon has emerged, that is, while many Asian and Latin American countries regard modernism as a symbol of independence (such as Chandigarh and Brasilia), it once became the expression of African colonial rule. However, throughout the century, we can perceive that an "African power" is always strongly displayed in its buildings. This is because even the architects who are most keen on moving western classicism around the world have to obey the local objective conditions, at least their climatic conditions. In the works of Lutyens and Baker, we can see the differences between them and their designs in the Indian subcontinent. If we look at some African native buildings restored at that time (such as the great mosque in Mali), we may be able to detect a trace of unconscious connection.

By the middle of this century, we can see that some western architects began to consciously explore tropical modern buildings suitable for local climate characteristics when designing landmark buildings for colonial authorities. The Frye couple in Britain have made outstanding contributions in this respect. They systematically summarized and developed a set of theories and practices of tropical modern architecture, and even invited them to participate in the design of Chandigarh by Corbusier. D. Ralston, who later designed the British National Theatre and won a knighthood, worked in their office when he was young and also did some design in Africa.

Later, we can see that some European architects not only adapted to the local climate characteristics, but also further explored the re-creation of African cultural characteristics. Among them, J. Dassington of Sweden (who designed the church in Mitija) and L. kroll of Belgium (who designed the Rwandan monastery) are the most prominent.

We are also glad to see that China architects' aid works to Africa have also been selected: Ghana Theatre and Cheng Taining Mali Conference Center, which were evaluated by editors as "he enriched contemporary African architecture with China's architectural language and realized effective expression with African dance, painting and sculpture artistic traditions".

From the second half century, African native architects (including white people who have been born and worked in Africa for a long time) began to step onto the design stage. Their designs are consciously trying to show African characteristics, among which O. Orumiwa of Nigeria (Dan later took over the planning and design of the new capital) is prominent; Rabbi Manatsoa from Mozambique; Vuitton bogani in South Africa. What's more worth mentioning is that in the design of West Africa Homogeneous Economic Development Bank, which embodies African economic independence and regional mutual assistance, African architects P.G. Ateba and W.P. Sowa Togo Branch designed the headquarters buildings of Togo and Bagonofaso, which are magnificent and show "African power", reminiscent of Sullivan's early buildings.

So, where does the "mysterious charm" of African architecture exist? After studying and comparing African art and architecture, Dr. Kutman believes that it exists in a prominent "sense of power". This reminds me of the famous novel Heart of Darkness by the British writer J Conrad (Apocalypse Now adapted by American director F Coppola to describe the Vietnam War). What does the hero of the novel see when he approaches the dark hinterland? Let's leave it to interested readers to understand and answer. African mask: There are many forms in itself, which can be roughly divided into four categories: one is to cover the face like a face, the other is to hold it on the head, the other is to cover the whole head, and the last is a flat plate tied to the head, either very long or very high, or very wide. No matter what kind of mask, most of them are made of a whole piece of wood.

Whether painting or carving, bold patterns are a powerful expression factor of African mask design. Most patterns tend to adopt symmetrical geometric patterns, such as parallel lines, rectangles, zigzag, cross, curve and spiral. Patterns are usually given specific information. The face of the mask is decorated with tattoo marks or patterns, which can show social status or have some magic and religious power. Various braids and hairstyles decorate the top of the head. Different geometric patterns are sometimes used to distinguish male and female masks. Interlaced crosses and geometric patterns are often used as details on African masks. Due to the spread of Islamic faith in Africa, the influence of Islamic culture can also be seen in some patterns.

African masks are made of various raw materials, mainly wood, but also bronze, brass, copper, ivory and clay. Shells, colored beads, bones, animal fur and plant fibers are usually used for decoration. There are two main reasons for using wood to make masks: there are a lot of trees in the forest. At the same time, people think that trees are spiritual and the place where the masked gods live. Before cutting down trees, loggers will make sacrifices to the tree god and ask him to allow them to cut down. This kind of ceremony is common in many ancient cultures. Wooden masks are usually colored with natural pigments extracted from vegetables, plant seeds, tree trunks, soil and insects. Sometimes, some sacrificial blood is sprinkled to enhance their magic.