Masque facial anthropomorphe "kpan"

Description

wood, pigments,
“Kpan” masks are part of the “goli” masquerade, a day-long spectacle that normally involves the whole village. “Goli” can be performed both as an entertainment and for the funerals of important men.

Four pairs of masks appear, two by two, in a fixed order: first a pair of disc-faced masks “kple kple”, next a pair of animal helmet masks “goli glen”, third a pair of horned face masks “kpan pre”, and finally two human-faced masks with crested hairdos “kpan”.

Only a few, important “goli” dances include the final pair, “kpan”, which appears holding fly whisks as symbols of elderhood. The “kpan” dancers only appear at dusk and are hidden behind cloths to increase the tension.

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