Mask Kple Kple Male Yassona

The Kple Kple mask is a Goli mask. It is Goli is one of the most important festivities in the village of Baulé. It is a whole day of dances and joys in which all the people participate with abundant consumption of palm wine. In the procession and other celebrations, numerous musical instruments are used and four pairs of masks appear, among them the Kple Kple, which are always manifested by couples, male and female, but always carried by men. The red mask designates the woman and the black as the man. It is one of the most active masks in the country, especially in the west.

The holiday of the Goli seems to come from the beginning of the century XX. Their dances are of peace and joy and take place preferably in the agricultural holidays and visits of important personalities and in some funeral ceremonies to honor the notable deceased.

From his flat head rise two buffalo horns, representing strength and fertility. They often appear freshly painted, as it is customary to repaint them for important festivities or when the painting appears disillusioned, as I baulé them want their masks to always be “beautiful”. The rounded shapes of the mask contrast with its rectangular mouth.

This mask has two original aspects, namely that the wearer obtains vision through the rectangular mouth, rather than through the eyes, and the presence at the bottom of a particularly prominent ledge that allows the dancer to completely hide the face.