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West Africa

Deprived of their costumes, adornments, torchlight and rhythmic movements, the "masks" are no longer what they were when they danced in their original context; in the museum they become mere fragments. But they escape from their dry ethnic classification to conjure up some of the great cults of sub-Saharan Africa which have existed alongside Islam since the eleventh century.

Initiation Societies and their Masks

In West Africa, as elsewhere on the African continent, masks and other sacred objects are used by initiation societies which communicate with the higher powers and exploit secret knowledge. In the course of rituals controlled by qualified officiants, these masks unleash and guide forces to influence social interaction between people, spirits and ancestors. The masks are sometimes powerful weapons in the fight against witchcraft.