Theatre puppet: Tubabu Cè Kun

The theatrical puppet (English: marionette, French: marionnette) attached to a cloth-covered frame under which the puppeteer-animator hides is part of the Sogo bò theatrical tradition found in the Ségou region south-central part of the Republic of Mali. The name Tubabu Cè Kun translates literally as a white man's head. It depicts a representation of the French colonial authorities. It was found in the village of Koulikoroba by the well-known and respected Malian puppeteer Yaye Coulibaly. According to his information, the doll was called a ruler of the bush, which emphasised the enormous administrative power of the figure depicted. The doll was used by Somono fishers living along the banks of the Niger River in Mali. They belong to the agricultural Bamans but have become a separate group because of their profession. Sogo bò performances are not tied to one ethnic group. It is a regional, pan-ethnic show that the people of the Segou area take pride in it.The oldest puppets still made by the creators of this tradition, the Bozo fishers, were prepared from grass and cloth. Nowadays, most performances feature wooden ones, which were introduced by Bamana farmers. Both farmer and fisher performances have a very similar structure. The show consists of separate scenes with puppet performances punctuated by short song and dance sequences. In between, acrobats and dancers appear. Occasionally, someone from the audience comes on stage to share their talent. Contact between the artists and the audience is also often established when the puppets accost and invite them to dance. The lack of a barrier between the stage and the audience and constant interaction between the artists and the audience are characteristic features of African theatre. The gift from Oleńka Darkowska-Nidzgorska and Denis Nidzgorski-Gordier.

Ewa Prądzyńska