Kono (bird) theatre puppet

The theatrical puppet (English: marionette, French: marionnette) is mounted on a long pole equipped with a system of a dozen or so short wooden elements joined together in an articulated way to form an accordion. The whole of this complicated construction is animated from below by a puppeteer hidden under fabrics. It is part of the Sogo bò theatrical tradition in the Ségou region, in the south-central part of the Republic of Mali, prepared by Kamalen Ton, i.e. village youth associations. The puppet represents the head of a bird, with another smaller one placed on top of it. The konow birds (singular: kono) occupy an important place in traditional Malian theatre. They are the only group distinguished from the sogow, i.e. animals. Among the birds appearing in performances, we can distinguish vulture, hornbill (calao), pigeon, ostrich, stork, marabou, and birds that are symbols of certain events and concepts, e.g. Kono Mali - the symbol of independence of the Republic of Mali or Kote Kono - the guardian of the theatre warding off evil powers. The making of the puppets is outsourced to nùmu blacksmiths. It is believed that carving a puppet is an act that releases powerful energy, and only blacksmiths with exceptional knowledge and power acquired during initiation can handle it. The process of creating dolls requires close cooperation between the blacksmith and principals or members of the society, but the blacksmith has some freedom in the design of his work. He often experiments by creating advanced mechanisms for animation. As a result, there are sometimes puppets with integrated sound systems, lighting, enlarging themselves, spitting out water, or throwing sparks during performances. The audience exuberantly appreciates all the innovations introduced by the blacksmiths. After the dolls are carved and constructed, they are sacralised and only after these rituals are the dolls painted, finished with fabrics and other materials. The gift from Oleńka Darkowska-Nidzgorska and Denis Nidzgorski-Gordier.

Ewa Prądzyńska