Tattooed Bodies in the public sphere between tradition and modernity. The case of Equatorial Guinea

Abstract

Tattoo belongs to what,we today denominate cultural heritage, that which according to UNESCO can be undestood as "the essential source of an identity deeply rooted in the past". The practice of body modification -through is diverse manifestations such as tatto, sacrification, piercings, deformation or amputation- are visible all over the world, with more or less intensity, in the past and also in the current times. But body modification practices constitute one of these cases of cultural manifestations not sufficiently taken into account as examples of cultural heritage despite the fact that they may be worthy. The reassons behind why they are diregarded may be diverse in nature, for instance: ignorance, because they do not constitute spectacular manifestations such as big festivals which can attract tourists or because they collide with certain mainstream values. Tattoo traditionally has had a bad reputation in the West, and concepts such as deformation or amputation, with wich we understand specific kinds of body modifications have a clearly negative connotations as well. We should not forget that in the concept cultural heritage the social subjective component always has its importance. After all, as we are today well avare, this which we understand as tradition means, in fact, a vision of the past according to our present perspective and values.