In Pictures

In Burkina Faso: FESTIMA, a festival of African masks

The frantic music and dancing transform the mask wearer into a spirit which communicates with ancestors.

The identity of the person behind the mask is always kept secret. Fibre masks from Lery village. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

13 Mar 2016

Dedougou, Burkina Faso – The 20th biennial FESTIMA, the largest International Art and Mask Festival in West Africa took place in the town of Dedougou, 250km west of the capital Ouagadougou. Hundreds of traditional masks from six countries – Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali, Togo, Senegal and 50 villages of Burkina Faso, came to life during the festival.

Masks have been an important part of traditional animist beliefs in many African cultures for thousand of years. Made of leaves, straw, wood and textile, the masks symbolise the worship of ancestors and spirits. They play an important role during commemorations of rites and the cycle of life.

According to traditional beliefs, during the ceremony, the frantic music and dancing transform the entranced mask wearer into a spirit which communicates with ancestors. A wise man or translator sometimes accompanies the wearer of the mask during the ritual, helping to interpret the ancestors’ message.

“Of course, these masks are not given full power during the festival,” one musician explained during a break. “Otherwise, you would not even be able to photograph them; nothing would show up in the picture.”

Only a month earlier, the capital of Burkina Faso was devastated by a terrorist attack claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Mourabitoun, which left 30 dead and 56 wounded from 18 different nationalities.

Ki Leonce, executive director of ASAMA, the Association for the Protection of Masks, said the attack left the country shocked because Burkina Faso, which literally means “the land of honest people”, is known for its religious tolerance and peaceful attitudes.

“There are two aspects about masks,” he continued: “One is cult and the other is culture; there might be a religious conflict for people who venerate masks, but there is no conflict from the cultural point. It is our cultural patrimony, every African, every Burkinabe shares it and we should not allow other people to dictate our way of thinking, but preserve our cultural heritage.”

During the festival, masks were incredibly alive and some tourists attended despite the attacks. ASAMA is hoping to obtain funds to invite even more nations and masks to participate in the festival in 2018.

Ritual masks are common in many African cultures. Fibre masks from Daman village in Burkina Faso. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Masks parade towards the stadium where they will perform in ceremonies. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

The FESTIMA festival took place from February 27 to March 5, 2016. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Traditional performances were held at the Regional Stadium of Dedougou. Music is essential during the ceremonies and is played on traditional African instruments. Fibre masks from Boni village, Burkina Faso. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A Gossima fibre masks head towards the stadium. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A Zangbeto mask from Benin. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A warthog fibre mask from Gossima performs in a series of dances, displaying powerful and fast movements which allow the wearer to fall into a state of trance. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Audiences gather to watch the various FESTIMA ceremonies in the stadium of Dedougou. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A traditional Dogon mask from Mali. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Traditional Dogon masks from Mali. 'Of course, these masks are not given full power during the festival,' one musician explained during a break. 'Otherwise, you would not even be able to photograph them; nothing would show up in the picture.' [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A Kayan mask wearer rests in the regional stadium of Dedougou. The masks are a 'cultural patrimony; every African, every Burkinabe shares it, and we should not allow other people to dictate our way of thinking, but preserve our cultural heritage,' explained Ki Leonce, executive director of ASAMA, the Association for the Protection of Masks. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Fibre mask wearers from Tcheriba village marched towards the Regional Stadium of Dedougou. Masks are an integral part of the life of the village, and the craft of mask making and mask-wearing has been passed on from generation to generation. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

It is believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer as he enters into a state of trance. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Fibre mask wearers from Gossima wait to perform under the heat of Dedougou, which is located 250km west of the capital of Burkina Faso. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Masks of leaves from the village of Mamou are paraded across the main street of Dedougou. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

People gather to watch the parade of masks proceeding through Dedougou. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A mask from Ouangolodougou made only of textile is displayed by its wearer in a special part of the festival dedicated to night masks. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

Textile night mask from Lekoro performed during nighttime ceremonies. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A leaf mask from Lekuy, Burkina Faso, outside a private house in Dedougou. Leaf masks are believed to preserve the social structure by enhancing fertility and marriage. Often after festival performances, masks tour the town of Dedougou, visiting houses of interested families, usually the wealthy, to collect money. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A young tourist observes a mask of leaves from the town of Dedougou. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A mask of leaves from the town of Dedougou is carried around the town. ASAMA is hoping to obtain funds to invite even more nations and masks to participate in the festival in 2018. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]

A mask from Lekuy village greets the chief of the Canton of Dedougou. The father of the current chief, Dayo Bajmamou, first established the festival in 1996. Every evening, several masks pay homage to the chief with a performance in his courtyard. [Jacob Balzani Loov/Al Jazeera]