(DANCE MOON)

HWELA

COTE D’IVOIRE

The Bedu mask is also known as the Dance Moon mask. These masks are amongst the largest in Africa but they are also a relatively young group, deriving from Nafana sculptors in the 1930’s. They emerged from an older, rather sinister cult. The Bedu, however, were free of such references. They were intended to celebrate village and family values and to remedy wrongs and imbalances, both large and small. They also helped communities allay anxieties resulting from colonial rule.