Fibre and cloth mask performing in the village square, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

"The masked dancer is fully costumed. He wears a disguise which usually consists of a part that covers the head and a part that conceals the body. To the Senufo, the mask is only one part of the masker, and by no means the most important one. It is not so much the masks as the accessories and attributes that determine the masker's identity. The same masks are used in various different rituals. They are then accompanied by different attributes and accessories and perform a different function." [Veirman Anja,2002: Forms of Wonderment. The art of Living: some aspect of the Art and Culture of the Senufo. Africa Museum, Berg en Dal]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.