Mmanwu is an Igbo art that plays an important role in Igbo tradition and culture
The rest of the world has long taken African art as an inferior form of art. Even when stolen African sacred artifacts are presented in Western museums, most are labeled as “primitive” art or as decorative decorations for everyday objects. These artifacts are portrayed to audiences as examples of African art objects when they are viewed in museums, where they are often stripped of their cultural and religious backgrounds. This has the unintended consequence of establishing an artificial atmosphere in which these objects such as masks and statues depicting spirits are regarded in ways that are quite different from how their creators in Africa and intended viewers saw them. Many museums encourage visitors to think of art objects as static, but in reality, many African art objects are created to be interactive and play an important role in religious rites. Many of the statues, sculptures, staffs, crowns, and masquerades depict ancestors, or divine creatures, or are meant to honor or evoke them.