Abstract: | Throughout the Segou region in Mali, local youth associations perform 'Sogo bò' masquerades. One of the largest groups of masquerade characters is bush animals. The masquerades are always accompanied by drumming and songs play an equally critical role. The lead singer sings the praises of the masquerade, the owners of the masquerades or the sculptors. This article describes a number of animal masquerades, including four versions of the hyena masquerade, and shows that, at the same time that the number of hunters has diminished in Mali society, the definition of the bush and of the hero has been extended to other arenas of endeavour. Bush animal masquerades remain important in the repertories of the 'Sogo bò' theatre precisely because they are richly drawn and complex metaphors through which to explore the nature of knowledge and power, the relationship of the individual to the group, and the path to gaining one's name. Bibliogr. |