Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about traditional stilt dancing in several African nations.
These stilt dancing traditions are the source of the Moko Jumbie stilt dancing traditions in Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere in the West Indies and the United States.
I searched YouTube for videos of African stilt walking after reading that "Moko Jumbies", (Caribbean stilt dancing traditions) have their source in West Africa. I was curious to see what those traditions looked like. As a result of that search, I found videos of and information about traditional African stilt walking and stilt dancing customs in West African and in Central Africa.
In alphabetical order, the videos showcased in this post are Gabon (Central Africa), Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria (West Africa), and Republic of the Congo (Central Africa).
This post also includes a few comments from the discussion threads for some of these YouTube videos.
Disclaimer: This post isn't meant to be comprehensive depiction of African stilt walking traditions or the purposes of those traditions.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to all those who are featured in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
Most of the content of this post was originally published on November 1, 2015 with this title "Stilt Walking In Africa (information, comments, & videos)". That post also includes a video of stilt dancing in Uganda. However, that custom isn't traditional to that nation. That post also includes an article excerpt about stilt dancing g traditions among the Garinagus (Garifuna) people in Honduras, Central America.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/seven-videos-of-caribbean-stilt-walking.html for a pancocojams post on Caribbean stilt walking/stilt dancing.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/caribbean-influenced-moko-jumbies-in.html for a post on Caribbean influenced moko jumbies (stilt dancing) in the United States.
Click the "moko jumbies" tag for additional pancocojams videos of stilt dancing in the Caribbean and in the United States
****
THE TRADITIONAL PURPOSES OF STILT WALKING IN AFRICA
From my online reading, it appears that there are a number of traditional purposes for stilt walking in Africa. Given in no particular order, here are some article excerpts that I found on this subject:
Excerpt #1
From http://www.ket.org/artstoolkit/wodm/tour/africa/ivory/dance.htmDance Sampler: Ivory Coast
"Dancing on Stilts
Every village has a stilt or mask dancer—but you have to be born into a stilt dancing family to do it!
Moha Dosso of Ivory Coast dances the Gue Pelou stilt dance
One of the most spectacular dances of the Ivory Coast is the stilt dance, also known as a mask dance. Stilt dances are ritual dances that protect the village and are performed at ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, initiations, and celebrations. During private preparations, the dancer communicates with the spirit world of the ancestors and dons a costume with tall stilts and colorful clothes that cover the face and body completely. Once in costume, no one may refer to the dancer by any name other than the spirit name—the identity of the dancer is kept secret.
Meet Moha Dosso
Could you tell us a little about your background—your village, your country, and your culture?
My name is Moha Dosso, and I’m a dancer from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, from a small village named Gouana near the city of Touba. My people are called the Mahouka, and our language is called Mahouka, too. We have a lot in common with a neighboring group of people called the Yacouba, and the name for us all is the Dan people. In Ivory Coast we have about 70 different ethnic groups—each with different languages, arts, and culture.
What is the role or purpose of dance in your culture? Is it part of a ceremony or for religious reasons; for artistic expression; or for fun and socializing?
Moha:
Dance is really used for all of these things, but different dances and music are used for different reasons. Among the Mahouka people, Gue Pelou—the stilt dance—is used for ceremonies and rituals (like a wedding, funeral, or the arrival of the President or an important minister), and also for celebrations like a school dance. This mask represents a spirit who is blessing or protecting the village, so people are happy to see it. There are many other masked dances in Ivory Coast, too—using masks made of different materials and different movements. Women dance in certain masks, and men dance in certain ones."...
**
Excerpt #2
From http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/315061
"One of the most popular types of masks in the Sanga region is the type known as kanaga. Like other Dogon masks, kanaga masks are worn at rituals called dama, whose goal is to transport the souls of deceased family members away from the village and to enhance the prestige of the deceased and his descendants by magnificent masked performances and generous displays of hospitality. In 1935, French anthropologist Marcel Griaule witnessed a dama ritual in which twenty-nine out of a total of seventy-four masks were of the kanaga type. These masks are characterized by a wooden superstructure in the form of a double-barred cross with short vertical elements projecting from the tips of each horizontal bar.
This kanaga mask was collected in Mali by Lester Wunderman, complete with its costume elements (see 1987.74a through 1987.74i). When the mask is worn, the back of the dancer's head is covered with a hood of plaited fiber fringe at the bottom edge. The dancer wears a vest made of black strip-woven cloth and red broadcloth strips embroidered with white cowrie-shells; strands of glass and plastic beads dangle from its edges. The kanaga dancer also wears a pair of trousers made of indigo-dyed, strip-woven cotton cloth, over which he ties a long skirt of curly, loosely strung, black-dyed sanseveria fibers and short overskirts of straight red and yellow fibers. For a traditional dama, the preparation and dyeing of the fibers are undertaken with as much secrecy and ritual as the carving of the wooden mask.
During the time spent by Griaule among the Dogon studying their complex belief system, he was initially told that the kanaga mask represents a bird with white wings and black forehead, but he later came to see this literal interpretation as characteristic of the first level of knowledge, that of the uninitiated. The deeper meaning of the kanaga mask apparently pertains both to God, the crossbars being his arms and legs, and to the arrangement of the universe, with the upper crossbar representing the sky and the lower one the earth. The disparity between these two interpretations illustrates the gaps in our understanding of Dogon art."
**
Excerpt #3
From http://arktofile.net/pages/while_s.html The History Of Stilt Walking
..."Stiltwalkers clearly shown in decorations on ancient ruins. Black slaves brought stiltwalking to America...In digs of Benin civilization in Nigeria is a large beautiful plaque showing sword-carrying stiltwalker....
In what is now Tanzania in East Africa, an old rite centered around a tribal dancer who was called the man in the treetop. Standing high on his stilts, he would pray that the young people of the tribe might grow tall and healthy and reach the very height of their ambitions...
In the Sudan the Ekoi people tell a story about a wise old man. He had been working on his little farm, planting yams. But the day was hot, and the ground was like a griddle, burning his bare feet. The old farmer sat under a tree and whittled a few branches.
Soon he had some walking sticks on which he could carry out his planting in comfort. And it is said this was how the custom of wearing short stilts was begun in that sun-baked African land...
In Nigeria, it is usually the boys who are on stilts, trying to outdo each other in their stunts. They hop on one stilt, vie to outreach each other, and compete in their skill at stilting with no hands. Play on stilts sometimes mimics the creatures seen in nature -- the daddy longlegs spider, the tall wading birds, the giraffe."...
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
These examples are given in chronological order according to their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest dated example given first.
Example #1: Dununba Drum and Dance Party with Stilt Walker/Dancer Guinee West Africa [Guinea, West Africa]
Michael Pluznick, Feb 15, 2007
****
Example #2: ikokou [Gabon, Republic of the Congo]
La muse, Uploaded on Nov 11, 2007
clip d ikoku y dimbu
-snip-
Scenes that include a stilt walker begin at 3:25.
The Ikoku dance is traditional to the Puna ethnic group. That ethnic group is found in the Central Africa nations of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread, with Google translation from French to English:
Jesus Sauveur, 2018
"Frères et soeurs PUNU
Felicitation de ce que vous faites de promouvoir la culture punu. Mais, connaissiez- vs l' origine et le compositeur de ces chansons? rendez- lui au moins un hommage en citant son nom : ( Tsaku ou tsakou) le gars du village IVARU. Car, il est le compositeur de toutes ces chansons. Après cela, on sera fier de vous."
Lieutenant Moukeba
-snip-
"PUNU brothers and sisters
Congratulations on what you are doing to promote the punu culture. But, did you know the origin and the composer of these songs? pay him at least a tribute by mentioning his name: (Tsaku or tsakou) the guy from the village IVARU. Because, he is the composer of all these songs. After that, we will be proud of you."
Lieutenant Moukeba
****
Example #3: The Dogon Dance of the Mask [Mali]
New Videos, Uploaded on Feb 11, 2008
The World Famous Dogon people of Mali West Africa.doing a ceremonial Dance.
-snip-
Here are three comments from this video's discussion thread:
2. Auntkekebaby, 2011
"I know smoel. It's soooo similar to the Hopi Indian dance."
-snip-
My guess is that these two commenters were referring to the similarities between the African dancers in this video and Native American dancers without stilts and not the African stilt dancers which I believe aren't traditional to the Apache and the Hopis.
**
3. Jojo La verite, 2015
"This dance is called kanaga for the dogon. the same dance appear in bamileke tribe in cameroon and is called Kounga."****
Example #4: Mali Africa Dogon Dance (Mali, West Africa)
adjofilm, Jan. 18, 2011
People of the Dogon tribe in Pays Dogon of Falaise de Bandiagara in Mali gave a demonstration of their famous traditional dancing. I recorded about 15 minutes of the one-hour performance...
****
Example #5: Mali - Dogon's Dances
Carlo Di Marco, Published on Apr 7, 2012
The Dogon's dances represent their history. The masks depict the system in the world: animals, men and things, too. In the dance they are an important element and the Dogon use more than 80 masks, depending on the celebration.
-snip-
Here' a comment from that video's discussion thread.
P Kalida, 2019
"Miss my grandpa(man in blue black) may ur soul rest in peace" **** Example #6: Stilt Dance Ceremony In Ivory Coast, Overlanding West Africa
Overlanding West Africa, June 3, 2013Witness the beauty and magic of a traditional stilt dance ceremony in Ivory Coast! Our trips spend the night in this beautiful village with the incredibly friendly Ivorian people.
****
Example #7: Royal Tour (1956) [Nigeria, West Africa
British Pathé, Published on Apr 13, 2014
Port Harcourt & Enugu, Nigeria.
-snip-
A brief scene of a stilt dancer is shown at 2:12-2:21. The commenter indicates that this is called "the staggering dance" and that the dances imitate the movements of long legged birds that live near the Niger creeks.
****
Example #8: Ivory Coast Dances | Planet Doc Express Docs [Ivory Coast, West Africa]
Planet Doc Express Documentaries Published on Dec 8, 2014
There are more than sixty indigenous ethnic groups in the Ivory Coast: the Dan is one of them. For them, ceremonial dances have a special significance and importance.
The Dan are known for being fierce warriors, forever locked in a struggle with neighboring peoples.
But when it comes to dancing, they become peacemakers, organizing two-day festivals in which the best dancers from neighboring villages are chosen.
The vocal polyphony is energetic, accompanied by loud drums; women also actively participate in the musical ritual. This is a typical imitative dance, one of the many varieties of these ethnic groups choreography in Ivory Coast.
A man wears a mask symbolizing a forest animal. To the sound of drums, the protagonist is driven to the center of the dancing arena by the ringmasters. Supported on stilts, he jumps to mimic the animal he represents.
The Dan believe in a world divided into two halves: the village and its inhabitants on one side, and on the other, the world of wild animals and guiding spirits of the forest. In Ivory Coast the amazing stunts sometimes continue until the dancers fall into a trance.
****
UPDATE: August 23, 2020
I just happened upon this video while looking for examples of YouTube videos of Africans wearing traditional feathered headdresses and/or other feathered costumes:
"Bafut Beagles" by Gerald Durrell was my beloved book in childhood. 60 years after Durrell I was in Bafut with my family, sometimes dreams come true:) Juju dancing is really big part of traditional grassland culture in Bamenda region, and Bafut with 400 years old palace of Fon is a great stage for that. Because Fon of Bafut had 26 wife's, and more that 100 kids, and all the dancers are locals, I'am pretty sure, that this juju dance is really royal:)
A stilt dancer joins the dance at 2:00 in this video.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides information about traditional stilt dancing in several African nations.
These stilt dancing traditions are the source of the Moko Jumbie stilt dancing traditions in Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere in the West Indies and the United States.
I searched YouTube for videos of African stilt walking after reading that "Moko Jumbies", (Caribbean stilt dancing traditions) have their source in West Africa. I was curious to see what those traditions looked like. As a result of that search, I found videos of and information about traditional African stilt walking and stilt dancing customs in West African and in Central Africa.
In alphabetical order, the videos showcased in this post are Gabon (Central Africa), Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria (West Africa), and Republic of the Congo (Central Africa).
This post also includes a few comments from the discussion threads for some of these YouTube videos.
Disclaimer: This post isn't meant to be comprehensive depiction of African stilt walking traditions or the purposes of those traditions.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to all those who are featured in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
Most of the content of this post was originally published on November 1, 2015 with this title "Stilt Walking In Africa (information, comments, & videos)". That post also includes a video of stilt dancing in Uganda. However, that custom isn't traditional to that nation. That post also includes an article excerpt about stilt dancing g traditions among the Garinagus (Garifuna) people in Honduras, Central America.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/seven-videos-of-caribbean-stilt-walking.html for a pancocojams post on Caribbean stilt walking/stilt dancing.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/caribbean-influenced-moko-jumbies-in.html for a post on Caribbean influenced moko jumbies (stilt dancing) in the United States.
Click the "moko jumbies" tag for additional pancocojams videos of stilt dancing in the Caribbean and in the United States
****
THE TRADITIONAL PURPOSES OF STILT WALKING IN AFRICA
From my online reading, it appears that there are a number of traditional purposes for stilt walking in Africa. Given in no particular order, here are some article excerpts that I found on this subject:
Excerpt #1
From http://www.ket.org/artstoolkit/wodm/tour/africa/ivory/dance.htmDance Sampler: Ivory Coast
"Dancing on Stilts
Every village has a stilt or mask dancer—but you have to be born into a stilt dancing family to do it!
Moha Dosso of Ivory Coast dances the Gue Pelou stilt dance
One of the most spectacular dances of the Ivory Coast is the stilt dance, also known as a mask dance. Stilt dances are ritual dances that protect the village and are performed at ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, initiations, and celebrations. During private preparations, the dancer communicates with the spirit world of the ancestors and dons a costume with tall stilts and colorful clothes that cover the face and body completely. Once in costume, no one may refer to the dancer by any name other than the spirit name—the identity of the dancer is kept secret.
Meet Moha Dosso
Could you tell us a little about your background—your village, your country, and your culture?
My name is Moha Dosso, and I’m a dancer from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, from a small village named Gouana near the city of Touba. My people are called the Mahouka, and our language is called Mahouka, too. We have a lot in common with a neighboring group of people called the Yacouba, and the name for us all is the Dan people. In Ivory Coast we have about 70 different ethnic groups—each with different languages, arts, and culture.
What is the role or purpose of dance in your culture? Is it part of a ceremony or for religious reasons; for artistic expression; or for fun and socializing?
Moha:
Dance is really used for all of these things, but different dances and music are used for different reasons. Among the Mahouka people, Gue Pelou—the stilt dance—is used for ceremonies and rituals (like a wedding, funeral, or the arrival of the President or an important minister), and also for celebrations like a school dance. This mask represents a spirit who is blessing or protecting the village, so people are happy to see it. There are many other masked dances in Ivory Coast, too—using masks made of different materials and different movements. Women dance in certain masks, and men dance in certain ones."...
**
Excerpt #2
From http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/315061
"One of the most popular types of masks in the Sanga region is the type known as kanaga. Like other Dogon masks, kanaga masks are worn at rituals called dama, whose goal is to transport the souls of deceased family members away from the village and to enhance the prestige of the deceased and his descendants by magnificent masked performances and generous displays of hospitality. In 1935, French anthropologist Marcel Griaule witnessed a dama ritual in which twenty-nine out of a total of seventy-four masks were of the kanaga type. These masks are characterized by a wooden superstructure in the form of a double-barred cross with short vertical elements projecting from the tips of each horizontal bar.
This kanaga mask was collected in Mali by Lester Wunderman, complete with its costume elements (see 1987.74a through 1987.74i). When the mask is worn, the back of the dancer's head is covered with a hood of plaited fiber fringe at the bottom edge. The dancer wears a vest made of black strip-woven cloth and red broadcloth strips embroidered with white cowrie-shells; strands of glass and plastic beads dangle from its edges. The kanaga dancer also wears a pair of trousers made of indigo-dyed, strip-woven cotton cloth, over which he ties a long skirt of curly, loosely strung, black-dyed sanseveria fibers and short overskirts of straight red and yellow fibers. For a traditional dama, the preparation and dyeing of the fibers are undertaken with as much secrecy and ritual as the carving of the wooden mask.
During the time spent by Griaule among the Dogon studying their complex belief system, he was initially told that the kanaga mask represents a bird with white wings and black forehead, but he later came to see this literal interpretation as characteristic of the first level of knowledge, that of the uninitiated. The deeper meaning of the kanaga mask apparently pertains both to God, the crossbars being his arms and legs, and to the arrangement of the universe, with the upper crossbar representing the sky and the lower one the earth. The disparity between these two interpretations illustrates the gaps in our understanding of Dogon art."
**
Excerpt #3
From http://arktofile.net/pages/while_s.html The History Of Stilt Walking
..."Stiltwalkers clearly shown in decorations on ancient ruins. Black slaves brought stiltwalking to America...In digs of Benin civilization in Nigeria is a large beautiful plaque showing sword-carrying stiltwalker....
In what is now Tanzania in East Africa, an old rite centered around a tribal dancer who was called the man in the treetop. Standing high on his stilts, he would pray that the young people of the tribe might grow tall and healthy and reach the very height of their ambitions...
In the Sudan the Ekoi people tell a story about a wise old man. He had been working on his little farm, planting yams. But the day was hot, and the ground was like a griddle, burning his bare feet. The old farmer sat under a tree and whittled a few branches.
Soon he had some walking sticks on which he could carry out his planting in comfort. And it is said this was how the custom of wearing short stilts was begun in that sun-baked African land...
In Nigeria, it is usually the boys who are on stilts, trying to outdo each other in their stunts. They hop on one stilt, vie to outreach each other, and compete in their skill at stilting with no hands. Play on stilts sometimes mimics the creatures seen in nature -- the daddy longlegs spider, the tall wading birds, the giraffe."...
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
These examples are given in chronological order according to their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest dated example given first.
Example #1: Dununba Drum and Dance Party with Stilt Walker/Dancer Guinee West Africa [Guinea, West Africa]
Michael Pluznick, Feb 15, 2007
The Doundoumba is a family of rhythms and dance popular all throughout
Guinee. It originally comes from
the Hamanah region, of the Kouroussa area. It is the "rhythm
of the strong man".
In traditional times it was played to settle disputes among the men of the village. The two in conflict would
dance the Doundoumba , in the Bara among the villiage people. This would insure the safety of the
competition which lasts from dusk to dawn.
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread:
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread:
"Hi, [no name given]
The dancers you speak of are "clowns", (just like
western) and are mocking the foreigners who come to events, (Like myself) and
excitedly film them! The cameras are made out of found items and are of course
not real! Hope this helps.."
****
Example #2: ikokou [Gabon, Republic of the Congo]
La muse, Uploaded on Nov 11, 2007
clip d ikoku y dimbu
-snip-
Scenes that include a stilt walker begin at 3:25.
The Ikoku dance is traditional to the Puna ethnic group. That ethnic group is found in the Central Africa nations of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread, with Google translation from French to English:
Jesus Sauveur, 2018
"Frères et soeurs PUNU
Felicitation de ce que vous faites de promouvoir la culture punu. Mais, connaissiez- vs l' origine et le compositeur de ces chansons? rendez- lui au moins un hommage en citant son nom : ( Tsaku ou tsakou) le gars du village IVARU. Car, il est le compositeur de toutes ces chansons. Après cela, on sera fier de vous."
Lieutenant Moukeba
-snip-
"PUNU brothers and sisters
Congratulations on what you are doing to promote the punu culture. But, did you know the origin and the composer of these songs? pay him at least a tribute by mentioning his name: (Tsaku or tsakou) the guy from the village IVARU. Because, he is the composer of all these songs. After that, we will be proud of you."
Lieutenant Moukeba
****
Example #3: The Dogon Dance of the Mask [Mali]
New Videos, Uploaded on Feb 11, 2008
The World Famous Dogon people of Mali West Africa.doing a ceremonial Dance.
-snip-
Here are three comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. wtapache, 2011
"dude! I'm Apache of The White mountain Apache Tribe. We
Dance almost the same as them the song are almost the same yo but in a
different toung. Really wierd!"
**
REPLY
**
REPLY
"I know smoel. It's soooo similar to the Hopi Indian dance."
-snip-
My guess is that these two commenters were referring to the similarities between the African dancers in this video and Native American dancers without stilts and not the African stilt dancers which I believe aren't traditional to the Apache and the Hopis.
**
3. Jojo La verite, 2015
Example #4: Mali Africa Dogon Dance (Mali, West Africa)
adjofilm, Jan. 18, 2011
People of the Dogon tribe in Pays Dogon of Falaise de Bandiagara in Mali gave a demonstration of their famous traditional dancing. I recorded about 15 minutes of the one-hour performance...
****
Example #5: Mali - Dogon's Dances
Carlo Di Marco, Published on Apr 7, 2012
The Dogon's dances represent their history. The masks depict the system in the world: animals, men and things, too. In the dance they are an important element and the Dogon use more than 80 masks, depending on the celebration.
-snip-
Here' a comment from that video's discussion thread.
P Kalida, 2019
"Miss my grandpa(man in blue black) may ur soul rest in peace" **** Example #6: Stilt Dance Ceremony In Ivory Coast, Overlanding West Africa
Overlanding West Africa, June 3, 2013Witness the beauty and magic of a traditional stilt dance ceremony in Ivory Coast! Our trips spend the night in this beautiful village with the incredibly friendly Ivorian people.
****
Example #7: Royal Tour (1956) [Nigeria, West Africa
British Pathé, Published on Apr 13, 2014
Port Harcourt & Enugu, Nigeria.
-snip-
A brief scene of a stilt dancer is shown at 2:12-2:21. The commenter indicates that this is called "the staggering dance" and that the dances imitate the movements of long legged birds that live near the Niger creeks.
****
Example #8: Ivory Coast Dances | Planet Doc Express Docs [Ivory Coast, West Africa]
Planet Doc Express Documentaries Published on Dec 8, 2014
There are more than sixty indigenous ethnic groups in the Ivory Coast: the Dan is one of them. For them, ceremonial dances have a special significance and importance.
The Dan are known for being fierce warriors, forever locked in a struggle with neighboring peoples.
But when it comes to dancing, they become peacemakers, organizing two-day festivals in which the best dancers from neighboring villages are chosen.
The vocal polyphony is energetic, accompanied by loud drums; women also actively participate in the musical ritual. This is a typical imitative dance, one of the many varieties of these ethnic groups choreography in Ivory Coast.
A man wears a mask symbolizing a forest animal. To the sound of drums, the protagonist is driven to the center of the dancing arena by the ringmasters. Supported on stilts, he jumps to mimic the animal he represents.
The Dan believe in a world divided into two halves: the village and its inhabitants on one side, and on the other, the world of wild animals and guiding spirits of the forest. In Ivory Coast the amazing stunts sometimes continue until the dancers fall into a trance.
****
UPDATE: August 23, 2020
I just happened upon this video while looking for examples of YouTube videos of Africans wearing traditional feathered headdresses and/or other feathered costumes:
Juju dancing at palace of the Fon of Bafut or Ntoh. [Cameroon, Central Africa]
Mikus Meirāns, Dec. 11, 2012
"Bafut Beagles" by Gerald Durrell was my beloved book in childhood. 60 years after Durrell I was in Bafut with my family, sometimes dreams come true:) Juju dancing is really big part of traditional grassland culture in Bamenda region, and Bafut with 400 years old palace of Fon is a great stage for that. Because Fon of Bafut had 26 wife's, and more that 100 kids, and all the dancers are locals, I'am pretty sure, that this juju dance is really royal:)
A stilt dancer joins the dance at 2:00 in this video.
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
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