As the government announced the wearing of masks in public as a mandatory step to curb the spread of the virus in the country, people can be seen with masks made of various materials. Crotchet, parachute and even wool are used to make partial facial coverings. But unlike these modern-day surgical masks we see and use today, masks made of wood, fibre, metallic pins, blades and, sometimes, even gold have held important and sacred relevance in African and Southeast Asian cultures for hundreds of years.

Though official and political boundaries separate African countries from one another, traditional societies are spread far within the continent where local art is unhindered. Masks and objects that are considered “figures of power” serve as mediums of connection between spirits and human beings. Similarly, in villages of Southeast Asian countries such as The Philippines and Indonesia, mystical wooden masks are included in ceremonies surrounding the birth of offspring and death, as they are thought to bring blessings and protection to the people.

The most well renowned protective figure in African art is called Nkisi Nkonde, from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 19th century. When first carved from wood, the figure, styled as a human torso, is neutral with no specific significance. An individual or a group may drive nails and sharp items into the figure to ‘activate its defensive and spiritual powers.’ This Nkonde may now serve multiple religious, private and social functions. For instance, in case of quarrels between groups, or if a crime has been committed, individuals may swear upon the Nkonde to prove their innocence. The power figure may also serve as a spiritual idol that brings security to a community against crime and invaders.

In West Africa’s largest ethnic groups of Sierra Leone, the Mende people, a society comprising women called the Sande hold initiation rituals for their adolescent girls who come of age. After bathing in a river, the girls return to their native villages where they are introduced to their husbands. The female ancestral mask called Nowo (or Sowei) is worn by the women participating in these ceremonies. Nowo masks are made with blackened wood from tree trunks and shredded fibres that cover the face and the body, signifying ideal female beauty, fertility and prospective motherhood. The shape and markings on the masks, such as a polished forehead and plaited hair, also represent characteristics associated with femininity, such as humility and contemplative thinking.

We may all be wearing masks today to protect ourselves. But masks made in traditional societies in Africa and Southeast Asia were often also about protections

Toward the early 20th century, Kanaga masks in the Dogon culture of Mali were commonly used to transport the spirit of the dead from local villages, as death is considered a transition in Dogon culture. Kanaga masks can be massive in size and are often filled with geometric shapes and patterns marked upon their surfaces. They are included in funeral ceremonies called ‘Dama’ that are held every few years that include dancing and costume wearing that is believed to increase the status of the dead and its descendants.

Masks also carry similar importance for the Karo Batak people in Sumatra, Indonesia, where they are used in elaborate funeral rites. The dead are mourned through rites and rituals conducted by the villagers donned in heavy masks and outfits, as they lament upon the loss. Gold funerary masks from the pre-Hispanic period, from the ninth to 16th centuries, identified nobility and status in traditional societies in the Philippines. These masks are also considered gateways of communication with the spirit world and are used to usher the soul of the deceased into the realm of their dead ancestors.

After the arrival of European colonial powers in Africa in the 15th century, many traditional African artefacts, including wooden masks, lost their cultural value as they were shipped to European museums, exoticised and marveled upon as primitive. Sometimes, trade was also developed between the local tribes and the Europeans. The affluent locals could flaunt Western imports, such as clothing and tools, to enhance their high rank and status in exchange for the artefacts.

Spanish painter Pablo Picasso was inspired by the formal elements of African masks. He created massively popular paintings including ‘Des Demoiselles d’ Avignon’ (‘The Young Ladies of Avignon’) (1907) and many others from 1906 to 1909. Through art, historical scholarship and post-colonial studies, the real significance of African and Southeast Asian artefacts has only recently been understood. As contemporary masks function to protect us from disease today, these artistic and historical objects will endure for eternity as objects of art and culture that hold supreme importance in their native lands.

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 7th, 2020