SMA Fathers, Tenafly, NJ.

A member of the African Ivorian dance company of Yahayaha Koumate was performing the mask kwuya gblen-gbe 'the tall mask', the mask with stilts. He obviously was not dancing in his village in Ivory Coast for his fellow initiates in the men's secret kono society, and although there were quite a few Ivorians in the audience, there were also a lot of non-Africans. The dance, therefore, was not a profoundly spiritual religious ritual but was a performance for tourists. It was awesome and exciting, nonetheless, as close as you could come to a masked ritual without going to Africa...

rjk: 9/27/12

For more information please visit:

http://smafathers.org/museum/african-festival-2012-cote-divoire/