Although many societies in the Congo were once renowned for vibrant masquerades and architectural sculpture, these phenomena have only been studied as living traditions among a handful of peoples, most notably the Pende. Building on the extended fieldwork of numerous researchers since the 1950s, this text offers a unique window into the dynamic performance contexts of both masquerade and architecture in Central Africa. As much as possible, it privileges Pende voices as it seeks to understand the interrelationship between ritual practice and aesthetic form. Attentive to history, the text also records how these artistic practices have responded (sometimes unpredictably) to both colonial and post-colonial pressures. Lavish illustrations feature both iconic and hitherto unpublished masterworks, which have been selected to evoke the full range of Pende expression. Visions of Africa is a series devoted to the arts of Africa grouped according to the different populations. Each volume follows two main guidelines: one, visual and aesthetic, offers a selection of photographs of masterpieces while the other, theoretic and contextual, explores, for a broad public, the significance of these items within the population that created them. The series presents a set of introductory books for readers wishing to discover the arts of the different populations and of reference books for those who intend to learn more about them.

Also available in the Visions of Africa series: Chokwe ISBN 10: 88 7439 293 1 ISBN 13: 9788874392933 Fang ISBN 10: 88 7439 295 8 ISBN 13: 9788874392957 Luba ISBN 10: 88 7439 297 4 ISBN 13: 9788874392971 Senufo ISBN 10: 88 7439 299 0 ISBN 13: 9788874392995 Lobi ISBN 10: 8874393504 ISBN 13: 9788874393503 Bamana ISBN 10:8874393482 ISBN 13: 9788874393480.