Masks:
Masks served many diverse functions to the numerous communities that inhibated what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Masks typically depicted anthropomorphic qualities and were used for initiations and storytelling.
The Yaka people used eccentric raffia masks like the Ndeemba to initiate young men from the realm of childhood and women to the sphere of men. In the performance, the mask-wearer would ridicule women and celebrate the virality of men to emphasize gender differences [1].
Other communities like the Chokwe had similar gender divides, but celebrated the role of mothers in the gender initiations through masks depicting women such as the Pwo mask. Although women were not allowed to perform in the rituals, the sorrow of the mother losing her son to sphere of men was portrayed in the ceremonies [2].
The role of women was celebrated by groups like the Kuba. The Kuba’s Ngaady a Mwaash,
for instance, was commissioned by the queen who wanted to highlight women’s contributions to the royal court. The highly decorated mask was worn along with two other men who portrayed the king and a foreigner. In the ceremony the two men would mock-fight for the affections of the queen. The performance used storytelling to manifest the significance of women and their contributions to the political and social aspects of Kuba life [3]. Women and men were included in certain societies, like the Bwami society of the Lega people.
The Bwami guided moral and individual development in a community and believed that physical beauty and integrity were interlinked. The Bwami mask’s intricate details reflected these beliefs and were worn in songs or dances to demonstrate proverbs and pass wisdom on to initiates [4].
African masks influenced Western art particularly in the Cubism movement by artists like Picasso. However, African masks were also influential during the Harlem Renaissance where Black American artists wanted to incorporate artistic traditions from Africa to express their culture and unity during a time of segregation [5].
Sculpture:
Certain sculptures in the Congo were designed to be interacted with as they were believed to contain spiritual properties. The Kongo peoples believed that sacred medicines and divine protection were sent from the heavens to earth through vessels called nkisi (plural: minski). Nkisi contains and releases supernatural forces and were often used to settle disputes. The spirits were activated by inserting a peg or nail into the nkisi containing the disputing/affected parties saliva, and either positive or negative repercussions were released depending on if the oath made by the parties was upheld [6]. Minski’s were mainly destroyed by missionaries when the area was colonized. However, artistic traditions of the minskis are present in contemporary art in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For instance, the idea of physical manifestations that alter one’s relationship with the world is a spiritual element possessed in contemporary Congo art [7] .
Storytelling:
Art in the Congo was typically used as a medium for storytelling or passing on ancestral legacies. For instance, the Luba Kingdom used art to chart their history in an unconventional way. The Luba people used lukasas or memory boards which had various sized beads of different materials arranged in a particular way where one could only read and recount it with extensive training. Reading the lukasa was a symbol of power and was considered sacred so only kings and the elite were trained to read it.
It served as a memory aid that describes the legends and history of the Luba kingdom and the royal line [8]. The lukasa exemplified artistic traditions of the Congo by employing texture as a means of storytelling and encouraged storytellers to physically interact with the artwork. Contemporary Congo art possesses the abstract stylistic traditions while also and inviting the viewer to form a tangible relationship with the art. Furthermore, the importance of storytelling through unconventional methods is preserved within contemporary art through the use of formal elements like color, texture, and arrangement which evoke a feeling or display a narrative.