Matadi Masks

Abstract

Matadi Masks Sihle Ntuli (bio) Matadi Masks // following her voyage through the Congolese port of Matadi, my mother was given three black wooden masks by the local seafarers as a gift. the masks were fine-crafted from redwood, each made distinct by their own unique features, the subtle differences in style for essence. two of the masks were female, the twins carved into an oval shape, with protruding lips & rectangular tribal patterns that appeared like jewelry dangling from wooden ears. the heads of the female masks finished with an elaborate headdress meant to indicate their royalty. the solitary male mask had the same oval shape, though this time there was a large wooden-carved beard, with a distinct tribal design traversing along the flat parts of it. the male lips were less pronounced than their female counterparts. the male mask finishing with its own crown and thus completing the royal set. // the Matadi masks were inspired by Congolese aristocracy, alluding to the storied lineage of the ancient kingdom of Kongo & on her return home, my mother placed the Matadi masks on adjacent walls all along the lounge. the museum aesthetics on display on the walls reminds me that of all the souvenirs that my mother brought home from the sea, it was these Matadi masks that I found to be the most frightening. the oracular spectacle of lifelike form, animism held back by fine & precise detail of a wooden carved indifference. // there were holes carved in the eyes of the Matadi masks, these holes only fueled my fear, doing nothing to calm me. in my eyes, the mystery of the masks was all-seeing, in silence my mind moving towards [End Page 214] an unproven conclusion. of the natural light, on masks appearing harmless, motionless and dead on the living room wall. though at sunset, the false pretense of masks pretending to be still. perhaps it was the glow of incandescent bulbs that gave them a whole new life, & when the lights were turned off, I could have sworn that sometimes I could behold the sight of the mask moving. first to silhouette then fully formed, gradually coming towards me, the presence. in truth, the masks for the Congolese coast of Matadi, it was only fear from a young mind's hallucinations. // on human nature, the firmness of our ways, the waywardness of our eyes, the stay-still maladaptive hush. a touch of change, a barrage of resistance. blind noble seers of royalty looking into me. it was when they found a flaw inside of me that I was humbled by their lesson & began to grow fond of the Matadi masks, unable to hold the lesson firmly, I grew attached to them & in their wisdom of ancient nobility. // so time years went by & the masks have taken on a new meaning. on the nature of time, the unravelling of origins of self. it happened as the masks began to age, time has given them a reddish tinge, serving as a reminder to me, to respect the mature and wise set of Matadi masks & the tree sacrificed to deliver this noble teaching. [End Page 215] Sihle Ntuli Sihle Ntuli is a South African poet living in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. He is a holder of a Master of Arts degree in Classical Civilizations obtained from Rhodes University in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. Ntuli has previously lectured at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein. He was shortlisted for the DALRO Poetry Prize in 2017. His work has appeared in notable African publications such as Lolwe, Down River Road, & Olongo Africa. He is also featured in the anthology Years of Fire and Ash: South African Poems of Decolonization (Jonathan Ball 2021). He recently released his poetry chapbook Rumblin (Uhlanga Press 2020) Copyright © 2020 Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University