$MASKS

Since honoring ancestors and the dead is one of the important elements in most African cultures, it is not surprising that the dead are also a common theme for African masks. Masks that refer to dead ancestors are mostly shaped from human skulls.
A famous example is the "Moana Poo" (meaning "young woman") among the Chukwue people of Angola, which combines elements of feminine beauty (such as a well-proportioned oval face, small nose and chin) and elements of death (such as sunken eyes, Cracked skin and tears) refers to a female ancestor who died young and is honored in rituals such as circumcision and rebirth ceremonies.
Since the honor of the dead is more associated with fertility and reproduction, many masks of dead ancestors also have sexual symbols. For example, the "Andyamba" mask of the Yaka people (Angola and Congo), in which, in addition to using a human skull to form the nose, the simulation of male genitals is also used, which is a symbol of birth and fertility in humans.