Mendiani Girls dancing in Balandougou, Guinea Jan. 2000

Monette Marino filmed this festival in Balandougou, Guinea in Jan. 2000. These were the Mendiani from a nearby village (possibly Lolé). The video shows their procession to the Bara (big open area where festivals take place), the rhythm Denadon is played while the are being carried on the shoulders of the young men. When the Mendiani reach the center of the Bara they are placed on the ground and that is when the rhythm Mendiani begins and the girls begin dancing in unison. Mendiani is a secret society for young girls (from the age of 5 or 6 up to age 12) who are chosen to be Mendiani by the elder Mendiani women. The costumes that the girls wear can only be worn by virgins. This festival was a welcoming festival for Mamady Keita who had returned to his village to record his CD Balandugu Kan and to teach several Japanese students as an exchange program with Mishima (Balandougou's sister city in southern Japan).

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