Marionette

It is common in these neighbouring ethnic groups, Bambara, Bozo and Marka, the use of showy puppets, in their theaters. These puppet and puppet theatres date from very old times. It is a traditional fun in Mali. Segú celebrates a celebration that lasts three days during which music, dances and theaters do not know the rest. The traditional theatre Sogo bo is organized by brotherhoods of young people responsible for the celebrations. It is a humorous theater but with a great satirical tone, it is the occasion to criticize the community aspects that do not work, under an angle of humor, and it will parody the most characteristic characters of the people, jocosically but without hurting susceptibilitys. In short, it is a social criticism. All these theatres have, in Africa, an educational purpose. A well represented character, central figure of these parodys is Yayoroba that embodies the feminine ideal of beauty. It is formed by the head and bust of the woman, only visible parts, the rest of the structure is covered by the clothes that wrap it.

In some theatres there are characters on horseback in commemoration of historical episodes. These equestrian figures always refer to power, since only the powerful and the rich could afford to buy horses.

The puppets of the Bozo are without doubt the most eye-catching, being those of the soberest barbara, often to the Janus, with two heads and even four.

Some of these figures were articulated and handled under the garments or between “bambalins”. There are anthropomorphic puppets and zoomorphs.

Marioneta bozo, dude Yayorobawhich represents the feminine ideal of beauty. As in many of these puppets only the head and torso are displayed, the rest remain covered by clothing. Painted in red, with a big black creek, it is certainly the parody of a European woman. For Africans, we Europeans are red, because red puts on our face when we get angry.