African Masks Coloring Contest
Express your creativity all month long by coloring the African mask drawing! Download it, color it by hand, and share your artwork for a chance to stand out. The contest closes on February 23, 2026.
Rules:
Choose your category: 0–4 years, 5–10 years, or 11 years and up.
Download the image from our website or social media.
Color it by hand — digital creations will not be accepted.
Submit your artwork: in person at the CCFL, by email to culture@ccflondon.ca, or on social media with the hashtag #CCFLEnCouleurs.
An open contest for everyone!
Need inspiration before starting your colouring?
The origin of African masks
Long before being displayed in museums, African masks were living objects, carriers of meaning and power. Used for centuries by many African societies (Dogon, Baoulé, Fang, Yoruba, Bété, among others), they held a central place in community life.
Symbolism and traditional knowledge
The shapes, colors and materials (wood, fibers, natural pigments, beads) had a specific meaning understood by the community. Every detail conveyed a cultural, spiritual or social message.
Cultural, social and spiritual roles
Masks were used in rites of passage, funeral ceremonies, healing practices, moments of community justice, and for the transmission of values. Once worn, the mask embodied a spirit, an ancestor, or a force of nature: the wearer became an intermediary between the visible world and the invisible world.
Memory, colonization and living legacy
With colonization, many masks were torn from their sacred contexts and reclassified as mere art objects. Yet, for the peoples who created them, they remain living archives of history, spirituality, and cultural resistance. Telling the origins of African masks today is to honor a memory and to remind us that behind each mask there is a people, a history, and a voice.
Resources and citations Bacquart, Jean-Baptiste. African Art. Éditions Hazan. Willett, Frank. African Art: An Introduction. Thames & Hudson. Blier, Suzanne Preston. African Masks: The Barbier-Mueller Collection.
Institutions and educational resources Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, educational files and collections on African masks. UNESCO, resources on Africa’s intangible cultural heritage.