Title: Le sondage
Description: The Guelede dance is famous for its big colorful masks and costumes, consisting of layers of elaborate bright cloth. The Guelede 'mask' is more accurately a headdress, since it rests on top of the head and the wearer's face is covered by a cloth veil. The headdress takes the form of a human head on top of which are motifs that are intended to entertain onlookers but also address social concerns. In Togolese, Beninese or Nigerian villages, the Guelede ceremony is always performed by men in spite of the fact that it celebrates 'Mothers,' a group that includes female ancestors and deities as well as the elderly women of the community, and the power and spiritual capacity these women have in society. The dancers generally perform in pairs and while they have bells on their feet, they are also always accompanied by a number of drummers. The singers use irony and mockery to denounce deviant behaviors as the role of the Guelede is to preserve social cohesion. They often imitate the gestures and manners of different animals or birds during the dance. In Togolese, Beninese or Nigerian villages, the performers of Guelede belong to a secret society whose members are the guardians of the masks.
Subjects: Catalogs, Sculpture, Wood-carving, Beninese Sculpture, Masks, History
Places: Benin
Time periods: 21st century