Coulibaly Puppet Theater (Fête des enfants - part 2)

As I learn, to organize an End of the Year Party (or "Fête des enfants", how it is called in Mali) there are a few "got to know" rules.

Firs: an average Malian family has 4 children but having 6-8 children is very normal, especially because of the local law allows polygamy, so 1 man can have up to 4 wives.

Second: no alcohol. Well, finally the foreigners did negotiate for some beer. Also, as I understood, some locals do drink alcohol but they would never do it in front of the other Malian colleagues.

Third: loads of food. Being one of the poorest countries in Africa, food is very important therefore the success of a good party is based on the quantity of the meal. And the local cuisine is most appreciated so don't try to come up with an out of the ordinary menu. 

Yaya Coulibaly

Taking in account all the above mentioned I quickly realized that the only one point on the agenda where the fantasy can be exhausted is the ENTERTAINING. And knowing that at least 50% of the participants are children between 1-13 years, inviting the National Ballet to perform the Swan-lake wouldn't be a good idea. 

One proposal was accepted: the Coulibaly Puppet Theater. At first, I was a bit disappointed but after looking it up on the internet, my curiosity got the better of me and gave it a chance. And I must admit, it was fantastic.

The giant puppets

Yaya Coulibaly, the father of this puppet theater comes from an ancient family of puppeteers with roots in the Bambara Empire  of Ségou in Mali. Not only that he learned the magic world of puppets from his forefathers but also he studied at the Bamako National Institute of the Arts at the Institut International de la Marionnette en Fance.

He has a collection of hundreds of wooden puppets of all sizes, small, large, men, women, boatmen and riders, children, camels, hyenas, cows, toucans, antelopes, etc... many of which have come down to him through his family. And every puppet has its own name and story. Some of the puppet's mouth and fingers can be separately manipulated. It was an amazing performance for children and for grown ups.

See you at the next years "Fête des enfants".

The Giant Puppets

The Hyena?! 

The Camels and the Tuaregs

Waiting for the show to begin

On of the puppet performers

"Fête des enfants" (part 1)

The Father Christmas (a she actually:-)

About a month ago I was asked to help out at the "Fêtes des enfants", what could be translated as  "Children's feast". As I don't have children and I don't necessarily consider myself as a 'child-friendly' person, would have said no but as it was for my husband's work I accepted the invitation.

So what exactly is the "Fête des enfants"?  Was still not sure to be the right person to help out until I found out that actually it is the
Christmas Party/End of the Year Party (the name depending on the country where we were living before) that is organized ones a year for the employees and their families.

As I'm new in Mali and in Africa all together, I was more listening than giving ideas during meetings. I also learned that the name of this feast is not just the name this time, but it is actually focused only on the children. In other countries, this "End of the Year Party" would have been organized in two parts. The first part in the afternoon would have been for the children, with animation, Father Christmas, the gifts, etc... and the second part in the evening would have been for the "grown up" ones. I used to help out my husband making funny quizzes and we had great music for dancing, but all this was not necessarily this time. 


So when the group told me that they have the perfect job for me, I was right away looking for the door to escape while I was picturing myself dressed up as a clown entertaining the children. I must have looked really horrified because they immediately explained my job-description and had a good lough with my face. 
I was going to be the "official" photographer! Hearing this, all my doubts about attending this "fête" disappeared. Can you imagine?! Taking photos of beautifully dressed African women, men and children without having to negotiate for a permission?! It sounded like heaven to me!