WYATT MACGAFFEY: I would say that Mangaaka is, as far as we know, the most striking sculpture ever produced in Kongo.

ANGELIQUE KIDJO (NARRATOR): This sculpture belongs to a class of powerful objects called minkisi, made to contain and control forces invoked by a priest known as nganga. Minkisi allowed priests to address a variety of individual and social concerns. Mangaaka was specially designed to engage a force of law and order in defense of the community.

Here is Wyatt MacGaffey, professor emeritus of anthropology at Haverford College.

WYATT MACGAFFEY: A successful minkisi would be a large one, an important one, it would be used many times by different clients who came with their problems. Some minkisi were nailed, or other kinds of hardware, knife blades, whatnot, driven into them to arouse them. Minkisi could also be aroused by other means, including explosions of gunpowder and insults. On the other hand, the nails representing so many past curses were part of the figure's deliberately frightening appearance.

Anybody looking at a Mangaaka, it is quite an alarming experience. The figure seems to be walking towards you with aggressive intentions, and has its hands on hips in a pose that says, ‘Look here, so-and-so. Do you know who you’re dealing with? This is me, Mangaaka.’

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Music: Recorded by Kongo Zabana for Buda Musique.