Mask - Wood - Baoulé - Ivory Coast

A Mblo Mask Baule, of the male Kple-Kple type, Ivory Coast, region de Sakassou, oval, hollowed form with traces of scarifications. The Baule recognizes two types of entertainment masks, Goli and Mblo. To perform a Mblo mask, a masker in a cloth costume conceals his face with a small, wooden mask and dances for an audience accompanied by drummers, singers, dancers, and orators in a series of skits. The Mblo parodies and dances are referred to as Gbagba. When not in use, the Gbagba masks were kept out of sight of the women so it is unusual that we get to see a mask displayed in this manner. Schaedler, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, page 64 - 67.