TS_Art of Africa_4C.qxp 10/17/2011 3:52 PM Page 212
Botondo Wa Lilwastatue (Mbole).
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Wood, pigments, kaolin, height: 79 cm.
Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale, Tervuren, Belgium.Owned by the Lilwa brotherhood who initiates young boys to
community life. Those who break the rules could be hanged. The
criminal soul could be preserved in his smoke-dried body or in
the statue named after him. Undoubtedly reinforced by magical
powers; the statue took part in initiations and judgments and
was marched through the village in case of misfortune.