Lwalwa masker - Lwalwa - DR Congo

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Masks are the primary art form of the Lwalwa people who live near the Kasai River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Among the Lwalwa, masks serve to witness initiations and circumcisions of the youths, and some are danced during hunting rituals.

Lwalwa masks have a balanced composition, an enlarged angular nose, a prominent mouth, and narrow slit-like eyes. These sharply defined features give Lwalwa art an almost geometric appearance. The shapes of the noses are modeled after various birds. The choreography of masked dances was very complex and had to coax the spirits of the ancestors to descend and compel them to intervene. Masks still play a role in secular festivities today, but now the masked dances are performed for payment, and their magic has largely given way to entertainment.