Zaouli Mask / Dance, (part two) Bouaflé, Ivory Coast

Filmed and edited by Tim Harrison, Bouaflé, Ivory Coast, January 2024. (All Rights Reserved) Zaouli is a traditional dance of the Guro people of central Ivory Coast. The Zaouli mask, used in the dance, was thought to have been created in the 1950s, in Bouaflé, where this video was shot, although the origins of the various masks are probably much older.
The Zaouili mask is supposedly inspired by a girl named "Djela Lou Zaouli" (meaning "Zaouli, daughter of Djela").and celebrates feminine beauty and strength (though the dancer is always male) At the start of the dance the mask is normally hidden, before her beauty is revealed to the onlookers.There are many different versions of the Zaouili mask / masquersde, the sculpting and symbolism of each wooden mask being highly skilled and creative.
In 2017 the mask was designated as an 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO', it is perhaps now the best known mask / dance of West Africa outside the continent.
The mask / dance is charecterised by skillfull synchronicity between the dancer and musicians - to a great extent the musicians are playing to the movements of the dancer, rather than the dancer dancing to the music. The originality and skill of individual dancers / masks is highly valued and admired.

Zaouli Mask / Dance, (part one)
   • Zaouli Mask / Dance, Bouaflé, Ivory Coast