From West Africa precisely in the north of Côte d’Ivoire, the Wambêlê is one of the most important masks in the tribute Senoufo. It is biface and mysterious and is one of the most emblematic in the Poro. But what is Poro ? A secret organization …

It is a secret ritual that requires a lot of time, even a whole life. Poro initiation takes place in three stages of 7 years. All young boys take part in the initiation from the age of 7 until the age of 28. The entire initiation stage takes place outside the village in the Sacred Grove. Young people periodically go on retreats of about one month.Women can be initiated at the first stage, after which they are obliged to marry and are able to continue the initiation after menopause.

There are 3 cycles of initiation, each lasting 7 years :

• The Kouord (during the teenage years)

• The Tcholo (leads the initiate to philosophize about the meaning of life)

• The Kaffono (leads to the supreme knowledge)

“Man at the moment of his birth is only an animal and what will raise him above this state is the training given by the Poro as well as the training to the tests which lead to the possession of oneself.”

The Kouord is the first period of the poro. The child is given certain chores and learns some symbolic words. During this period the adolescent is prepared for life in common, he should be able to make personal sacrifices and contribute to collective work.

The Tchoro encourages reflection on the meaning of life. A number of secrets that he was not able to understand before are revealed to the young man. They concern theology, philosophy, social behavior, and a professional education.

The Kaffono allows to reach the supreme knowledge the definitive enthronement among the masked initiates.

Once you totally passed the Poro, you have to pay an annual contribution you will benefit for the rest of your life from the brotherhood, the protection from the great master and a deeper philosophico religious research.

At the time of their death, the funerals are assured by the members of the Poro.
After the death of the deceased, his or her soul may take time to reach the other side and in some situations there may be a person responsible for the death. In this case, a ritual is performed, the deceased is given food and during the ritual the Sandogo (The female spirit) is questioned so that it can point out the culprit or the body of the deceased can start to point out the culprit.

The Wambele is known to be a protective mask and has the ability to blow smoke out of his mouth during his performance. It is a mask composed of two faces which, according to the sages, signify for some the good confronting the evil, the future facing the past or the white in the black. It is protective but when it feels offended it is capable of killing or bringing down lightning.

Today the Senoufo Art is being recognized and exposed in some galleries. There are many artists from this tribute or not who inspire from the culture to express different emotions through their Art. African culture is still not publicly recognized and thanks to Art we can express ourselves.

“ The objects are presented as works of art through our Western eyes, which can only be dazzled by the purity and stylization of these forms. But we must never forget: these were first of all objects that responded to ritual functions, which were not necessarily intended to be seen by everyone. At the same time, they are objects that force admiration, because the African artists manufactured beauty in the service of ritual. “

At Doone our first goal is to put in the light the unknown African myths and culture.

You can contribute by donating, sharing or following our Twitter page and participate in the birth of our DAO by following our activities.