Bembe: stylization and ancestor worship

The Bembe are settled in the northwest of Lake Tanganyika, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and form the dominant ethnic group in the region, comprising a complex cultural and artistic mixture. They share traditional and artistic elements with the Lega from whom they adopted the Bwami initiation.
They should not be confused with the Bembe of Congo Brazzaville.
Bembe African art is marked by the worship of ancestors and nature spirits. For this purpose, statues and masks were carved in which a high level of cubism is observed.