Queen Nzinga of Ndongo: The African Queen Who Defeated the Portuguese
Queen Nzinga of present-day Angola spent decades resisting Portuguese colonisation. Her story is one of the most remarkable in African history.
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Luba Kifwebe Mask: Stripes, Spirit, and Power in Central Africa
The striped Kifwebe mask of the Luba and Songye peoples is one of the most visually distinctive in all of African art. Here is the story behind the design.
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African Henna and Natural Body Art: Origins, Patterns, and Cultural Meaning
Henna and natural pigment art stretch across North and East Africa with distinct regional styles. This guide maps the traditions and their meanings.
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Makonde Lipiko Mask: Initiation, Spirits, and Transformation in Tanzania
The Makonde people of Tanzania and Mozambique create elaborate helmet masks used in male initiation ceremonies. Discover the symbolism of the Lipiko tradition.
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Kingdom of Mali: Sundiata Keita, the Golden Trade Routes, and a Lost Empire
At its height the Mali Empire stretched across much of West Africa and controlled the world’s gold trade. Here is the complete history.
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Mende Sowei Mask: The Female Helmet Mask of Sierra Leone
Uniquely, the Sowei mask is carved by men but worn by women — senior members of the Sande society. Learn why this makes it exceptional in African art.
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Kanaga Mask of the Dogon: The Cross-Shaped Mask of Mali’s Funeral Rites
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Of all the mask forms carved and danced across Africa, the Kanaga mask of the Dogon people is one of the most visually distinct: a carved wooden face is topped by a tall, double-barred…
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Kifwebe Mask of the Songye and Luba: Striped Faces of Power and Judgment
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Few African masks are as immediately recognizable as Kifwebe. The carved concentric lines running across the face, the tall ridged crest rising from the forehead, and the stark geometric planes have made Kifwebe one…
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Goli Mask of the Baule: The Masquerade Cycle of the Ivory Coast
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Most African masking traditions center on a single dominant mask type. Goli, performed by the Baule people of central Ivory Coast, is built differently: it is a sequence of paired masks, performed in order…
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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…
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African Scarification by Region: West, East, Central, and Southern Africa Compared
Scarification traditions vary enormously across Africa. This regional breakdown shows how different communities approach body marking and what it signifies.
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Senufo Kpelie Mask: The Face Mask of Ancestors and Initiation
Used in Poro society initiations across Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Mali, the Senufo Kpelie is an ancestor-honouring masterpiece.
