When Objects speak: the spiritual secrets of the Lega People: From October 23rd, the new temporary exhibit at the Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography in Parma. Extended until March 8th 2026
In the Congo, objects teach. Masks convey wisdom. It’s not poetry, but the concrete spiritual reality of the Lega people. From October 23rd to December 14th, the Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography in Parma 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.
The Lega, a traditionally people with unwritten words, have developed a unique system of communication. In the Bwami, their traditional society, every figurine and mask becomes the guardian of moral values and teachings. Wood, bones, clay, and plant elements are transformed into a sculpted code that spans generations, passing down wisdom through the universal language of symbols and creating an artistic and cultural heritage of rare beauty.
As Father Antonino Melis, a Xaverian linguist and anthropologist who works between Chad and Cameroon and curator of the exhibition, explains: "Through ritual, man leaves the physical dimension to enter another space-time. These objects, manipulated during ceremonies, become bridges to what the senses alone cannot perceive." Each piece on display bears witness to that moment when the community connects with the invisible world, regenerating identity, cohesion, and collective memory.
A heritage to be preserved - The exhibition is made possible thanks to the extensive ethnographic collections begun in 1901 by Saint Guido Maria Conforti, founder of the Xaverian Missionaries and of the Chinese Museum.
Visit to the exhibit is included in the museum admission price: €5 for adults - €2 for minors. Free admission: disabled visitors, journalists with a valid press card, and teachers accompanying school groups.
For Information and Visits, write to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The visit to the exhibition is included in the museum entrance ticket: €5 standard, €2 minors. Free: disabled people, journalists with a card, teachers accompanying school groups.
Museum opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 7 pm. Sunday from 3 pm to 7 pm. Closed on Mondays.
Museum entrance: €5 (adults) €2 (under 18) which includes a visit to the permanent collection. Contact us at 0521-257.337.
Info: Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico, viale San Martino, 8 – 43123 Parma
Tel: 0521-257337 sito www.museocineseparma.org
