The kifwebe mask is a ceremonial object belonging to the society of the same name which has great prestige in the eyes of the Eastern Songye people. Its members are sorcerer-sculptors whose knowledge enables them to manipulate the spiritual and divine forces. These masks, worn with a long costume and a long beard made of woven bark, are present in many ceremonies and are always used as a form of policing and maintaining social order in the service of authority. The fine incisions that cover the surface of the mask, the triangular and prominent nose, or the jutting mouth, are elements that individualize it, while the sagittal crest identifies it as being male. Associated with different forest animals - the lion, the zebra, the crocodile or the porcupine -, the colours and the movements of the masqueraders express their character and a great variety of emotional states.