Although many societies in the Congo were once renowned for vibrant masquerades and arhitectural 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 and seeks to understand the interrelationship between ritual practice and aesthetic form. Attentive to history, the text also shows these artistic practices have responded (sometimes unpredictably) to both colonial and post-colonial pressure.

Lavish illustrations feature both iconic and hitherto to unpublished masterworks, which have been selected to evoke the full range of Pende expression.