In most traditional African cultures, the person who wears a ritual mask conceptually loses his or her identity and "becomes" the spirit represented by the mask itself. This transformation of the mask wearer into a spirit usually relies on other practices, such as specific types of music and dance, or ritual costumes that contribute to conceal the mask-wearer's human identity. The mask wearer thus becomes a sort of medium that allows for a dialogue between the community and the spirits (usually those of the dead or nature-related spirits). Masked dances are a part of most traditional African ceremonies related to weddings, funerals, initiation rites, and so on. Some of the most complex rituals that have been studied by scholars are found in Nigerian cultures such as those of the Yoruba and Edo peoples, that bear some resemblances to the Western notion of theater

Since every mask has a specific spiritual meaning, most traditions comprise several different traditional masks. The traditional religion of the Dogon people of Mali, for example, comprises three main cults (the Awa or cult of the dead, the Bini or cult of the communication with the spirits, and the Lebe or cult of nature); each of these has its pantheon of spirits, corresponding to 78 different types of masks overall. It is often the case that the artistic quality and complexity of a mask reflects the relative importance of the portrayed spirit in the systems of beliefs of a particular people; for example, simpler masks such as the kple kple of the Baoulé people of Ivory Coast (essentially a circle with minimal eyes, mouth and horns) are associated to minor spirits.

Another consequence of the spiritual meaning of mask is that only selected persons have the privilege to wear them. In many cases, only men can wear masks, and most specifically elders or men of high social status. Some masks are reserved to chieftans and kings. The most important masks are often those associated to the spirit of defunct kings and other privileged people; for example, the kings of the Kuba Kingdom used to wear a specific mask that represented the first ancestor of the ruling dynasty. Many cultures have special masks that are reserved to such classes as warriors or witch doctors.