Kple Kple Mask of the Baule: What It Was For and Why It Matters
Baule | Côte d'Ivoire | Funerary / Entertainment
What was it for?
The kple kple is the youngest spirit in the Goli masquerade cycle and the least prestigious mask of the series. It appears first, opening the ceremony for the more powerful masks that follow. It is one of a pair, danced by young boys as a male and female duet, and its playful antics include chasing the children in the crowd.
What does it look like?
A flat circular disc with a stylised face, small eyes, a simple mouth and horns rising from the top. The disc is painted red for the female mask and black for the male. Its simple, bold form is unlike most other mask types in West African traditions.
Why does it matter?
The contrast between the kple kple's simple form and the masks that follow in the Goli cycle is deliberate. It teaches that power does not always announce itself with complexity. The most senior spirits in the Goli are the most humanly refined.
One thing most people never know
The kple kple is danced by young boys, while the senior masks that follow belong to grown men. The Goli day therefore moves from youth toward seniority and from play toward gravity, and the audience watches that whole journey unfold in a single performance.
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.
