African masks: history, types and meaning of the great masks of Africa

We see them hanging on the walls of museums, motionless behind glass. But in Africa, a mask is almost never made to be looked at closely: it is made to dance. With its costume, music, chants, and dancer, it becomes, for the duration of a ceremony, a spirit, an ancestor, an animal, or an honored person. Here are the keys to understanding African masks: what they are used for, who wears them, how to recognize them, and why they revolutionized modern art.

A mask is, first and foremost, a dance

In museums, we often only see the sculpted part. But an African mask is a whole: the wooden face, the raffia or fabric costume that completely conceals the dancer, the bells, the drums, the chants, the movements. Without all this, it is "extinguished". Among the Baoulé of Côte d'Ivoire, it is even said that dance is an essential offering: without it, the spirit of the mask remains imprisoned.

The dancer, meanwhile, disappears. Their identity must often remain secret: it is no longer a man from the village who is dancing, but the spirit.

What are African masks used for?

• Initiation: in many societies, such as the Senufo Poro or the Sierra Leonean women's Sande, masks accompany young people on their passage into adulthood and teach them the rules of life.
• Accompanying the dead: at funerals, they honor the deceased, drive away evil spirits, and help them join the ancestors. This is the role of the Senufo Wanyugo.
• Marking the seasons: dances are performed for sowing, harvests, and rain.
• Administering justice and maintaining order: among the Dan, some great masks settled disputes and enforced laws.
• Protection: against witchcraft, epidemics, and drought.
• Entertainment and honoring: some masks dance in the daylight for everyone, such as the Baoulé portrait masks that celebrate a real person from the village.

The main types of masks

• The facial mask is worn in front of the face. It is the best-known form: Dan, Baoulé, and Senufo Kpélié masks.
• The helmet mask covers the entire head like a helmet, such as the Senufo Wanyugo or the Sande women's mask.
• The headdress is attached to the top of the head, above a costume that conceals the face, such as the Bambara Tyi Wara antelopes of Mali.
• The shoulder mask, very large, rests on the dancer's shoulders.

Faces of Africa: some famous masks

• Dan masks (Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia): oval faces with round or slit eyes, which can instruct, judge, entertain, or race. Read: Dan and Yacouba masks.
• Baoulé portrait masks (Côte d'Ivoire): the idealized image of a real person. Read: Baoulé art.
• The Senufo Wanyugo and Kpélié (Côte d'Ivoire): one terrifying, the other graceful. Read: the Kpélié mask.
• The Sande mask (Sierra Leone, Liberia): a shiny black helmet with a high forehead, lowered eyes, and a small mouth, with a very elaborate hairstyle.
• Gelede masks (Benin, Nigeria, Togo): face-shaped headdresses topped with sculpted scenes, sometimes satirical.

The Sande: the only masks worn by women

In Africa, masks are almost always worn by men. There is one famous exception: the Mende women's Sande society in Sierra Leone and Liberia. All the girls are initiated into it, and the society brings together all the women of a town into a powerful social and political force.

Its mask, a blackened wooden helmet, represents a water spirit and the ideal of the accomplished woman. Everything has a meaning: the high and broad forehead signifies intelligence, the lowered eyes humility, the small closed mouth prudence in speech, and the avoidance of gossip. The elaborate hairstyle reminds us that a woman needs her friends to help style her hair: it symbolizes mutual aid.

Gelede: the festival of mothers

Among the Yoruba-Nago of Benin, Nigeria, and Togo, Gelede honors Ìyà Nlà, the primordial mother, and the role of women in society. Every year after the harvest, during major events or times of drought and epidemic, masked dancers perform at night in the public square to the sound of chants and drums. The masks often feature animals: the snake, a symbol of power, and the bird, a messenger of the "mothers". Some are full of humor and mock the foibles of society. It is the only known mask society that is also led by women. Gelede's oral heritage was proclaimed a masterpiece of the world's heritage by UNESCO in 2001.

When African masks changed modern art

At the beginning of the 20th century in Paris, a few artists discovered African masks, notably at the Musée de l'Ethnographie du Trocadéro. The impact was immense. Pablo Picasso drew inspiration from them for the faces of the two figures on the right of Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), the painting that paved the way for Cubism. Matisse, Derain, Braque, and Modigliani also collected masks and statues. The artists found what they were looking for: a way to represent the world without copying nature, through the power of form.

How to look at an African mask?

• Look for the people: every people has its own style, recognizable by the eyes, mouth, and hairstyle.
• Imagine the dance: the costume, the movements, the music.
• Read the symbols: horns, birds, chameleons, and scarification marks all have meaning.
• Respect the sacred: some masks should not be seen by everyone; they are objects of faith before they are objects of art.

Our tribute: Masks and Traditions

At KEMI HOME ART, our Masks and Traditions collection brings together masks designed from representations preserved in museums, originating from all countries in Africa. Each plate features a different face, and each customer can choose their own from hundreds of designs, depending on what touches or impresses them. Each pattern is prepared in our workshop in Alfortville, then applied and glazed by hand before firing, made to order.

Write to us to choose your masks and imagine your set.

Frequently asked questions about African masks

What are African masks used for?
To initiate young people, accompany the dead, celebrate harvests, administer justice, protect the community, and entertain. They make spirits and ancestors visible.

Who wears African masks?
Almost always initiated men whose identities remain hidden. Mende women of the Sande in Sierra Leone are an exception.

What are the most famous African masks?
Dan, Baoulé, Senufo (Kpélié, Wanyugo), Sande, Gelede, and Bambara Tyi Wara headdresses.

What is the difference between a facial mask and a helmet mask?
A facial mask is worn in front of the face; a helmet mask covers the entire head like a helmet.

Did African masks influence Picasso?
Yes. The faces of two figures in Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) were inspired by African masks discovered at the Trocadéro museum.

Can I decorate my home with an African mask?
Yes, respectfully: many masks are now sculpted for decoration. Ancient sacred masks, however, belong to their community.

Sources: UNESCO, the Gelede oral heritage · Brooklyn Museum, Sande mask · MoMA, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon · Musée du quai Branly