This handcrafted mask, is made from sese wood, it is elongated in shape, and decorated with a mixture of individually placed colourful beads and shells. The image of a sparrow is often used on Yam Festival Masks as they symbolise strength and power, which are attributes many Yam cultivators draw on from their God and ancestors of the land. Now, the Yam Festival or the ‘Asogli Yam Festival’ is a popular Ghanaian celebration, stemming from the people of Asogli, located in the Volta Region of Ghana.  It is held annually in September, and celebrates the cultivation of yam. The story of how yam cultivation came about in Ghana is actually a very popular tale that has been passed on from generation to generation, and oral history has it that a hunter on his normal hunting expeditions, discovered the crop “ete” (yam), in the forest. Now at this time, a great famine had hit their land and so instead of taking home his newly discovered finding he decided to hide it in soil for use on a later day. When he finally came back to it, to his surprise, his hidden finding had germinated and grown bigger, hence the cultivation of yam began. As one can imagine, yam cultivation is a very tiresome, tedious and labour-intensive job, and it is common knowledge that many people who ventured into this role, rarely got to enjoy the fruits of their labour as they did not live long. Hence the festival came about, as workers would rely on the permission and guidance  from the Gods of the land and ancestors to see them through harvest season. The Yam Festival is held as a thanksgiving to God, and also used as an opportunity to offer prayers of good health and prosperity for all.