MALI: Puppeteer tells stories using ancient art form

Record ID: 804080

  • Title: MALI: Puppeteer tells stories using ancient art form
  • Date: 16th October 2012
  • Summary: MASK PROPPED AGAINST TREE TRUNK CAMARA SAOUDATOU DEMBELE, CLIENT, WATCHING COULIBALY AS HE WORKS (SOUNDBITE) (French) CAMARA SAOUDATOU DEMBELE, CLIENT, SAYING: "This is the reality of life. Puppets, home movies, are alike what you do at home reflects reality. Puppets represent something in each home." VARIOUS OF PUPPETS DANCING DURING A SHOW
  • Embargoed: 31st October 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mali
  • Country: Mali
  • Topics: Arts
  • Reuters ID: LVA2D2LIDEVA63NP7AT2L6FVBH42
  • Story Text: At a village square in Bamako's Doudabougou district giant puppets seem to almost come to life.
    The Sogolon Puppet Company is performing at a thanksgiving ceremony. The rainy season has just begun and the community is looking forward to a good harvest.
    The art form is popular among the Bambara community and combines, life-sized puppet shows with dance, storytelling and music.
    Apart from performing at cultural events and providing entertainment, the group made up of 14 artists likes to use shows to highlight various issues affecting the community.
    Puppetry a popular ancient art form performed in parts of Mali and has been handed down generations for centuries. Puppets are seen as an important part of religious beliefs often representing deities or fetishes.
    Yaya Coulibaly who is the founder of Sogolon Puppet Company is a descendent of a royal Bambara family.
    In the past, royals commissioned blacksmiths to make puppets and masks used in ritual ceremonies and for village entertainment, but as a master sculptor and puppeteer Coulibaly makes his own pieces.
    The artist has inherited over 2,000 masks and puppets from his family, some of which can be found at his workshop.
    He studied at the Bamako art school and also went to France to train in the art of string puppets or marionettes.
    "I depend on puppets, my family live only for this. This is my bank, this is my territory, this is my book, this is all my domain and every day that God gives us. I had no other choice - whether it rains or not we are in this field and even if I do not have money, I am very, very rich - look at all this," said Coulibaly.
    The puppeteer says puppets also help people communicate better and gets audiences to listen and comment on controversial topics like sexuality and politics.
    Apart from performing at festivals and cultural events the group also holds shows for tourists and sells specific pieces.
    Coulibaly says that business has been slow lately with fewer tourists coming in after the country descended into chaos in March when soldiers toppled the president, leaving a power vacuum that enabled Tuareg rebels to seize two-thirds of the country.
    He hopes things will get better soon. Today he made 200 dollars from selling one puppet.
    "It was love at first sight. This string puppet represents something typical that I will remember from my stay in Mali. This puppet is very beautiful and has a lot of charisma," said Carsten Riedel, a German tourist.
    Coulibaly decided to apprentice his two sons into the business. His older son is a law student and helps organize and manage contracts for the company, while the youngest helps put puppets together.
    The puppeteer says his younger son is more likely to take after him.
    "When we look at the children we see that every child is born with a gift. This (my son) will be an adult accompanied and encouraged. Since he was born, whenever he saw a puppet he laughed but the other children cried," said Coulibaly.
    Camara Saoudatou Dembele, one of Coulibaly's clients says the puppeteers work depicts daily life.
    "This is the reality of life. Puppets, home movies, are alike what you do at home reflects reality. Puppets represent something in each home," she said.
    Coulibaly's puppets have also featured in a number of art exhibitions and festivals abroad making him one of the best known puppeteers on the continent.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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