Ivory Coast
18m
Sep 09, 2026
The Face Behind the Mask: What the Zaouli Dance of Ivory Coast Actually Reveals
The Zaouli mask of Ivory Coast's Guro people is considered one of the most beautiful objects in African art. But it is not made to be looked at — it is made to move. When the Zaouli dances, something happens that the mask alone cannot do, and what it does has been keeping a community alive, spiritually and socially, for over a century.