Bozo mask - Bozo - Mali

Beautiful and well-used mask representing a Fulani man and used in performances by Bozo-artists when performing their marionnettes spectacles. Wandering troupes of artists go from village to village to entertain the populace with colourful and lively spectacles. Sometimes these performances are held on boats on the river Niger.
These marionnette-performances are a speciality of the Bozo-people who are also fishermen.
This specific mask has been well-used, visible by its weathered colours and wood. Put on a very sturdy socle.
Collected in the city of Sevare in the late 1990,s. Height: 47 cm. From a private Dutch collection.