Elementary ASA Drama/ KIRIKOU THE MUSICAL

The Musical Kirikou is directed by Sarita Marchesi and Mara Diop as part of ES ASA. It is based on story ideas from one or more West African folk tales. These have been orally passed down through the centuries. This kind of story might be told by a griot - a poet, musician and storyteller and the keeper of the oral tradition. The most important topic in Kirikou is based on the West African Tradition of the initiation as passage from childhood into adulthood (Kirikou at the end of his journey, will marry Karaba); the author Michele Ocelot has probably took inspiration from the Boukout; these rituals, which include symbolic displays of strength and respect, are organized by elders and are binding on all Diola men. The Boukout, in particular, is a sacred ceremony that takes place in sacred forests and is a vehicle for transmitting values like tolerance, equality, and respect.