The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals presents a broad geographical coverage of the rich, diverse art traditions found on the vast continent of Africa. It is designed for single-semester survey courses on African Art, and can also be used as part of a survey of global art course. Beginning with North Africa and the Sahara and ending with South Africa, the book introduces students to major art traditions ranging from important ancient, archaeological finds to the work of artists active today, both those working with received traditions as well as those trained in Western institutions.

The book's organization is based on a geographical approach, allowing for art works to be situated within the particular historical and cultural contexts of the different geographical regions of Africa. For each major geographical region, a selection of early documented art works to more recent art traditions are examined. Throughout the text the authors give special attention to the important themes of gender, power, and life cycle rituals that frequently intersect with one another to inform an understanding of the arts of Africa.