Into Ancestorhood: Death as Continuity in Traditional West African Art

ANCESTOR MEMORIAL SCREENS- Duen Fobora
Among the Ijo peoples of Nigeria, memorial screens are created for important deceased male figures.  The words, Duen Fobora, actually translate to "forehead of the dead" because according to Sieber, this society-as is common throughout West Africa- believes "the forehead controls a person's success in life".
     These screens are meant not only to honor the departed, but more importantly are meant to function as the place where an ancestor can come back to when visiting the world of the living.  This represents the idea that the dead continue to be interested in, and interact with, the mortal world. [3]
    Also according to Sieber, these screen have received little attention in the non-African art world, as they were considered so sacred that few outsiders were able to obtain theme.  Then apparently around 1915 there was an iconoclastic movement and many of them were destroyed. It is therefore unclear whether this practice continues. [3]