In Sub-Saharan Africa, human society is traditionally based on communion with ancestors and sculptures as tutelary spirits.

The dead are in contact with beings from other world and help the living. Counseling them in a very important life event. In return, it is the duty of the living to honor the dead regularly in cults.

Altars of sculptures are dedicated to the dead are erected close to or in the center of the village, in courtyards or inside houses and people communicate with them through sculptures, among other mediums. The proliferation of these or distant figures, which always bear a distinct likeness to the tutelary ancestor, reinforces the bonds between the generations.

Recognizing themselves in the sculptures, the spirits come down to inhabit them. The connection is made through the offering, libations, prayers, rituals and bloody sacrifices dedicated to the spirits, and may also involve other forces such as nature spirits, who are in contact with a man through the medium of his ancestors.