A Fine Guro Mask – Mami Wata – Zaouli Dance – Côte d’Ivoire / Ivory Coast

Carved wood, pigment. Cm. 37,0 high x cm. 22,5 width (14.37″ x 8.86″).

Mami Wata is a water spirit venerated in West, Central, and Southern Africa, and in the African diaspora in the Americas.

Zaouli is a traditional dance of the Guro people of central Ivory Coast. The Zaouli mask, used in the dance, was created in the 1950s, reportedly inspired by a girl named “Djela Lou Zaouli” (meaning “Zaouli, daughter of Djela”).

Each Guro village has a local Zaouli dancer (always male), performing during funerals and celebrations. The dance is believed to increase the productivity of a village that it is performed in, and is seen as tool of unity for the Guro community, and by extension the whole country.

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