A iron Moba sculpture, Togo, Northern region.

In the northern region of Togo, especially in the Kara and Savanes regions, the Moba people—also referred to as the Ron or Tchokossi—produce one of the most distinctive sculptural forms in West African art: the tchitcheri or Moba ancestral figures. These statues, often carved from a single piece of wood and placed directly into the earth, are characterized by their radical abstraction, featuring long cylindrical bodies, simplified heads, and minimal facial features. Despite—or precisely because of—their visual austerity, these sculptures carry profound spiritual significance as mediators between the living and the ancestral realm. Each figure represents a specific deified ancestor and is commissioned by a diviner (faiba) after a spiritual consultation, usually in response to illness, misfortune, or the need for ancestral guidance. As Anita Glaze notes, “The Moba figures are not art in the Western sense but sacred tools—embodied ancestors whose silent verticality enforces both memory and order in Moba society” (Glaze, 1981, p. 88). These figures are ritually buried up to the groin, “planted” in family shrines (tchitchik) near the homestead, where they receive libations, animal sacrifices, and invocations. Their rigid posture and lack of movement reflect the stability, timelessness, and moral integrity expected of ancestors, whose favor is essential to the family's well-being. Although traditionally not made for public display or aesthetic appreciation, Moba sculptures have attracted significant attention in contemporary art circles for their minimalist form and existential presence.

Glaze, A. (1981). Art and Death in a Senufo Village. Indiana University Press.

Himmelheber, H. (1960). Negerkunst und Negerkünstler. Braunschweig: Klinkhardt & Biermann.

Perani, J., & Smith, F. T. (1998). The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals. Prentice Hall.

Cole, H. M. (1989). “Art from the Upper Volta Region: Spirituality in Form.” African Arts, 22(4), 54–63.

Förster, T. (2010). “Spirits and Sculpture: The Social Significance of Moba Statues in Northern
Togo.” Anthropos, 105(2), 341–355.

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Height: 43 cm
Weight: 280 g