Today Dogon country is wide open to anyone with the money and wherewithal to get there. Visitors need only endure the long rough ride over dusty roads to reach the edge of the cliff. Spectacular The most popular starting point is the village of Sangha, with its breathtaking architecture and view of the sandy plain below that fades into the heat haze to the south. These are the ravages of tourism. The Dogon population is estimated at only 300,000, spread over 200 villages that are perched on top of the cliff, built right into its sheer face, or spilling down onto the sand dunes below.
Many people are against the new road.
He cites the example of the Sigui dance of the masks, which is performed in great secrecy only once every 60 years, following the cosmology of the star Syrius, from which the Dogon believe they originally came. The next authentic Sigui dance is scheduled for 2020. But these days you can see the Dogon performing an imitation Sigui every day for tourists. It's like something you'd see at an airport. He says tourism demystifies rituals and fetish carvings, eroding all their meaning.