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Do African Masks Have Spirits? Cultural Truth vs Popular Myth
One of the most common questions people ask about an African mask is also one of the most misunderstood: Do African masks have spirits? This question appears frequently in online searches, museum discussions, and private conversations—often surrounded by mystery, fear, or exaggeration. Popular culture has portrayed African masks as objects that are inherently possessed,…
Stories Shape the World, and Africans Must Tell Their Own Stories.
Stories shape the world, and you probably already know this. Behind every great movement led by people was a proportionately great story. The very famous proverb by one of Africa’s best storytellers, Chinua Achebe, explains this perfectly. He said that ‘until the lion learns how to write, the tale of the hunt will always glorify…
Sowei Mask of the Mende: The Only African Mask Tradition Owned by Women
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Almost every well-known African masking tradition is controlled by men. The Sowei mask, worn by the Mende, Temne, Vai, and Gola peoples of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, is the exception that reorders the…
