Goal and Target
In the Congo, objects teach. Masks convey wisdom. It’s the concrete spiritual reality of the Lega people. From October 23rd to March 8th 2026, our Museum presents "Ritual Objects: Symbols and Spirituality in Congo”, an exhibition dedicated to this population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its extraordinary cultural heritage.
Around thirty masks and statues will allow the visitors to discover a universe where the boundary between matter and spirit dissolves. Not simple artistic artifacts, but living testimonies of a spirituality that intertwines forms, actions, and sounds, as to dialogue with the sacred: ancestors, deities, natural forces.
Around thirty masks and statues will allow the visitors to discover a universe where the boundary between matter and spirit dissolves. Not simple artistic artifacts, but living testimonies of a spirituality that intertwines forms, actions, and sounds, as to dialogue with the sacred: ancestors, deities, natural forces.
Stories of Bami and Kanyamwa
The museum exhibits some assembled masks and objects with short didactic explanations of the stories told by the Bami themselves. These objects are "mediums" between the human weakness and the strength of the spirits; they are symbolic, and therefore they deform reality; more than stories to admire, one must imagine them alive and fleshed out in the reality of Congo.
Idimu mask
Anthropomorphic mask of ovoid shape, made of light wood; the eyes are prominent slit-like, joined to the bridge of the nose, it creates the characteristic 'heart' shape of the faces of the Lega mask.
The 'idimu' wooden masks are large, have long beards and are almost always completely whitewashed.
The tails of the masks and statues
Since the initiation (called “mpala”) involves the use of many ritual objects, the Lega people require an extensive artistic production. The owners and guardians of these ritual objects (Bami and Kanyamwa) show them during the initiation, accompany them with music and dances, represent them with dramas and proverbs.These objects, and especially the masks, are "mediums" that connect the human with the supernatural. The ancestors are made present in them. Each toga and mask is accompanied by ritual figurines representing proverbs, sayings, and stories, to help young people identify principles of moral conduct and wisdom.
Robes with masks
These are the three large robes worn by judges who are members of the "Bwami," the Lega's "secret" community, generally structured into five levels. Judges are chosen from among those who have reached the final and most important level, the "Kindi": they are capable of understanding the language of the main spirit of Lega religiosity. The masks are made of wood and plant or animal elements, such as pangolin skin, a sacred animal for the Lega, or elephant hair.
Cord of Wisdom
Don't forget the "mutanga," the famous "Wisdom Rope," an educational display of 26 rotating panels that reveal the proverb and meaning of the objects hanging from the rope.
