work and their records. Through their discernment and the variety in their collection, which consists of unique pieces or categories assembled over decades – categories that often made it possible to appreciate the distinctiveness of each individual object – I discovered the incomparable beauty of numerous West African masterpieces. Samir described to me the meaning underlying a stunning Ndoma portrait-mask; he showed me sculptures of mystical spouses I knew nothing about and figurines of spirits of nature. Later, he revealed to me statues covered in gold leaf, drum-shaped Akan ornaments, portraits of the Attie queen, Koulango figurines, a gold Akan crown from Ghana, and many other wonders. Not to be outdone, Mina took me to see their collection of Senufo works and was especially proud to show me a huge anthropo-zoomorphic mask combining a crocodile’s jaws and body, long multicoloured horns, and birds’ beaks. I bade them goodbye with all those marvellous works and astonishing forms fresh in my mind’s eye. Both friends became figures I knew I could always turn to: Mina because of her courage and her noble, pugnacious character; Samir for his determination, enthusiasm, and astonishing perspicacity. Both have an unrivalled knowledge of these peoples and, with their typical generosity and humility, they have always been delighted to share it with art lovers, collectors, curators, and friends in all walks of life. Thus, Jacques Kerchache, whose vision of art and approach to creating a collection they felt particularly close to, wrote in their visitors’ book, thirty years after first meeting them in Abidjan, that all those years of friendship, enthusiasm, love, ‘emotions, […] suffering and happiness, […] risks, adventures, […], misgivings, […] and apprenticeship [made it possible] to show and demonstrate that all the world’s masterpieces are created free and equal’.
Imbued as they are with modesty and goodwill, Samir and Mina are discreet people motivated by an insatiable curiosity and filled by unlimited cordiality. Their story springs from a profound joy expressed in their enduring happiness and in the family they have built. Their collection is a treasure trove that has been an invaluable and ever-accessible resource for research projects and exhibitions alike. It showcases several masterpieces, to be sure, but it also contains numerous examples of various categories of object painstakingly chosen over a period of more than sixty years, such as the most extraordinary West African combs, pulleys, and music hammers, among others.
Comb
Baule, Akan, Ivory Coast Ivory, red pigments 13 × 4.5 cm
Provenance
Charles Ratton, 1979
Publication
Antoine Ferrari de la Salle, Le Taureau qui aime les masques d’hommes. Regards sur Samir Borro, Oser Dire Éditions, Bruxelles, Beyrouth, 2018, p. 75
Hairdressing session
Baule village, Ivory Coast, 1935 CC by Hans Himmelheber, Inv. FHH 125-14, Museum Rietberg, Zürich www.africa-art-archive.ch
Hair Ornaments: Exalted Presences
Fig. 5 Peigne | Comb
Ashanti, Akan, Ghana
Bois | Wood
30 × 9,5 cm | 30 × 9.5 cm
Exposition | Exhibition
La Haye | The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Aspects, Akan Cultures in Ghana, 29 septembre 2001 – 6 janvier 2002 | 29 September 2001 – 6 January 2002 (n° de référence | ref. no. C15)
Fig. 6 Peigne | Comb
Ashanti, Akan, Ghana
Bois | Wood
35,5 × 13,5 cm | 35.5 × 13.5 cm
Exposition | Exhibition
La Haye | The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Aspects, Akan Cultures in Ghana, 29 septembre 2001 – 6 janvier 2002 | 29 September 2001 – 6 January 2002 (n° de référence | ref. no. F70)
34 Peigne | Comb
Baoulé | Baule, Akan, Côte d’Ivoire | Ivory Coast Bois | Wood
17,5 × 3,5 cm | 17.5 × 3.5 cm
Provenance
Jonas De Boeck
Fig. 54 Peigne | Comb
Attié | Attie, Akan, Côte d’Ivoire | Ivory Coast
Ivoire | Ivory
13,5 × 5 cm | 13.5 × 5 cm
Provenance
Samory Diabaté
Fig. 55 Peigne | Comb
Attié | Attie, Akan, Côte d’Ivoire | Ivory Coast
14 × 3,5 cm | 14 × 3.5 cm
Ivoire | Ivory
Provenance
René David
Publication
Jean-Yves Augel, Valentine Plisnier, Coiffures africaines en majesté, Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Galerie Vallois, 2024, fig. 2, p. 120
Exposition | Exhibition
Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Espace culturel Jean Salles, Coiffures africaines en majesté, 6 – 21 avril | 6 – 21 April 2024
Fig. 56 Peigne | Comb
Attié | Attie, Akan, Côte d’Ivoire | Ivory Coast
Ivoire | Ivory 11 × 4,5 cm | 11 × 4.5 cm
Provenance
Charles Ratton, Marceau Rivière
Publication
Marceau Rivière, Les chefsd’œuvre africains des collections privées françaises, Paris, Editions Philbi, 1975, fig. 17
103 Peigne | Comb
Bois | Wood
17 × 5 cm
Provenance
Georges Stocklin
Fig. 113 Peigne | Comb
Beté | Bete, Kru, Côte d’Ivoire | Ivory Coast
Bois | Wood
26 × 6 cm
Fig. 114 Peigne | Comb
Beté | Bete, Kru, Côte d’Ivoire | Ivory Coast Bois | Wood
15 × 5,3 cm
Provenance
Merton Simpson
Mask Guro, Ivory Coast Wood, ivory (removable pin)
Provenance
Merton Simpson
Publications
Antoine Ferrari de la Salle, Le Taureau qui aime les masques d’hommes. Regards sur Samir Borro, Oser Dire Éditions, Bruxelles, Beyrouth, 2018, p. 69 ; François Neyt, Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire, Fonds Mercator, Anvers, 2014, p. 91, fig. 57
5 Continents Editions
Editor-in-Chief
Aldo Carioli
Design and Art Direction
Fayçal Zaouali
Editor
Lucia Moretti
English translation
Julian Comoy
Editing
Charles Gute
Pre-press
Pixel Studio, Bresso, Italy
All rights reserved
© Najwa Borro
© The Authors for their texts
For the photographs
© Alfred Weissenegger, Daniel Ilinca, Valentin Clavairolles
For the present edition
© 2025 – 5 Continents Editions S.r.l., Milan
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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ISBN 978-88-7439-677-1
Distributed by ACC Art Books throughout the world, excluding Italy. Distributed in Italy and Switzerland by Messaggerie Libri S.p.A.
Printed on Sappi Magno Satin 170 gr paper and bound in Italy in July 2025 by Tecnostampa – Pigini Group Printing Division, Loreto – Trevi for 5 Continents Editions S.r.l., Milan
Pages 52-53
From a map of West Africa, late 19th – early 20th century, by Gustave-Léon Niox (1840-1921)
Front cover
Comb, Fanti, Akan, Ghana
Wood, 25 × 10.5 cm
(see pages 72–73)
Back cover
Comb, Attie, Akan, Ivory Coast
Wood, 16 × 9 cm
(see page 129)