Chapter 1 | MAGIC MASKS

Have you ever worn a mask and pretended to be someone else?
African masks were often used during religious dances and ceremonies. During such rituals the person wearing the mask could enter a trance, a kind of dream state. It was believed that in this trance he/she could make contact with ancestors or change into a nature spirit with supernatural powers. In this way he/she could protect the tribe from dangers. The masks are very skilled carved from wood, some painted. Unique are the different ways in which the shape of the head, eyes, nose and mouth are made.

Exercise 1: Draw one or more of the magic African masks shown in the different pictures and add your own figures to them. Maybe give them (nick)names like in a game, theater play or names of your classmates or family. 

Exercise 2: Masks can also represent good or evil spirits. Choose one of the masks that you think would represent a good spirit and one that you think would represent an evil spirit. Draw both masks and give them a body, environment, attributes, or text that suits their good or evil nature.

Take a look at details  from the drawing of a pupil, based on exercise 1: