African masks hang on museum and collectors' walls, but African
masquerades dance, and masqueraders wear them. There! In one sentence, the kineticism of a masquerade, the terminology, and the combination of object and costume are laid out.
Masquerades in Africa a
re quite different from masquerade balls in New Orleans or Venice. Their appearance and impetus, as well as the identities of those who wear them, make them distinctive. In the continent, there's only one region (in parts of Sierra Leone/Liberia/Guinea) where women wear masquerades--here you see one at left in wooden mask and dyed black raffia costume. In the rest of Africa, it's men, men, and men.
re quite different from masquerade balls in New Orleans or Venice. Their appearance and impetus, as well as the identities of those who wear them, make them distinctive. In the continent, there's only one region (in parts of Sierra Leone/Liberia/Guinea) where women wear masquerades--here you see one at left in wooden mask and dyed black raffia costume. In the rest of Africa, it's men, men, and men.While many masquerades are for entertainment purposes--a relief from the tedium of everyday life--more are involved with incorporating and impersonating spirits, whether ancestral or entities that inhabit the bush or waterways. Spirits, if you flatter them, can bring you blessings--and masquerades are a perfect way to swell their spirit breasts and make them feel magnanimous. Just because a masquerade has a spiritual dimension doesn't mean it is humorless. When teenage boys dress up as spirit women and insert padding or a stick to enlarge their buttocks, then proceed to burlesque women's walks and dances, hilarity ensues.
Some masquerades, however, are solemn or intentionally frightening. Igbo males spirits, fo
r example, are represented with a fierce conglomeration of human and animal-like features that include tusks, sharp canines, and horns. They carry machetes and other weapons, and would rush the crowd if not restained by their "keepers." Yoruba witch-hunters are decorated with medicines, including small animal skulls, in an effort to warn malefactors that they, too, can kill.
r example, are represented with a fierce conglomeration of human and animal-like features that include tusks, sharp canines, and horns. They carry machetes and other weapons, and would rush the crowd if not restained by their "keepers." Yoruba witch-hunters are decorated with medicines, including small animal skulls, in an effort to warn malefactors that they, too, can kill.Other masquerades were once human, 
and relish the chance to again dance with their family members, bestowing blessings on them.
and relish the chance to again dance with their family members, bestowing blessings on them.At Saminaka's African festival, there will be periodic, as well as staged, appearances by a variety of African masqueraders. Would you like to be one? IM Tamsin Barzane, and she'll set you up, or check out the masquerade stall on the Festival market ground. See you there!
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