Bobo - Burkina Faso

The Bobo Fing, the true Bobo, live in the Bobodioulasso region, near the border
with Mali, and in the Tanzila region. It does not appear that the Bobo Fing have migrated to Burkina Faso.
They can be regarded as the original inhabitants of the north-western part of the country.
They are all farmers and have a reputation for being the best. Each village elects its own
chief, who governs political and social life entirely independently and,
likewise, leads the inhabitants, in conjunction with the religious chief. Fetishism is practised by
ninety-five per cent of the population. The prevalence of fetishism explains the exceptional wealth
of art objects. In general, the art of the Bobo Fing tends to be more realistic and is
generally older than that of the Bobo Oulé.

Provenance: Berthe Hartert-Kibabi Collection
Argiles Collection, Barcelona