Lucky Charms of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to some of Africa's most powerful and visually striking protective amulets. The Nkisi figures of the Kongo people — wooden figurines bristling with nails, blades, and other objects driven in by a ritual specialist (nganga) to activate their power — are among the most internationally recognized African ritual objects. Each nail driven into the nkisi activates a specific protective or punitive force.

The Luba and Kuba kingdoms produced elaborate ceremonial objects including masks and figures that channeled ancestral power. Cowrie shells are ubiquitous across ceremonial dress and divination objects throughout the Congo Basin. The syncretic Christian movements of Kimbanguism and similar Congolese churches have created their own distinctive blend of Christian and African protective symbolism.