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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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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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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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.
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Kingdom of Benin: Bronze Masks, Court Art, and a Civilisation Ahead of Its Time
The Benin Kingdom produced some of the world’s most technically advanced bronze art centuries before European contact. Discover their mask-making legacy.
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