Kagle Mask of the Dan: What It Was For and Why It Matters
Dan | Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire | Entertainment / Social Instruction
What was it for?
The Kagle is a troublemaker. At village events it behaves in erratic, aggressive and disruptive ways, embodying the brutal force of the bush. By acting out disorder in front of everyone, it teaches the value of order through negative example, and the audience learns what the community must not become.
What does it look like?
An angular face with projecting triangular cheekbones and recessed triangular eye openings. The planes meet at sharp angles, giving the mask an almost cubist look. It is a deliberately unsettling face, far removed from the smooth oval beauty of masks such as the Deangle.
Why does it matter?
The Kagle shows that African masquerade can teach by provocation. Not every mask models good behaviour. Some put bad behaviour on display so that people can see it clearly, laugh at it, fear it and reject it. Disorder, carefully staged, becomes a lesson in why order matters.
One thing most people never know
The Kagle's wildness has a purpose. It brings the force of the bush into the village in a form people can watch, and then the performance ends and order returns. The disruption is real while it lasts, yet it serves the very order it seems to threaten.
Further reading: the source record for this entry.
This entry is part of the SEVICS Africa archive of 100 African masks. If you own a mask like this and want to know more about it, try our Mask Identifier.
