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AFRICAN FEST 99: MASKING IN THE IMAGE OF THE SPIRIT
The Gorboi Masquerade was an important highlight to
African Fest 99. The introduction of the mask at this
year’s festival transcends symbolism. This revered
mask is the spirit of the Mende people of Sierra
Leone, West Africa. Mende is a language spoken by
about 900,000 people and is used as a lingua franca in
the south of Sierra Leone by another 130,000 people.
The masked spirit plays a very important role in the
social and communual life of the Mende people.
The Gorboi is imbued with a natural value that is
refined through a careful and graceful portrayal of an
imposing presence and sociable nature. To bring out
this personality, a good quantity of raffia is woven
into layers of skirts worn by the spirit. Tiny
replicas of wooden slates are inscribed with Quranic
verses by the hand of a marabout. Marabouts are
Quranic scholars believed to be endowed with mystical
powers through divine intervention.
These inscribed slates are placed in a descending
order, layer upon layer, on the back of the Gorboi
spirit. This formation gives the spirit a higher form
that is simply kingly. The kingly standing is
emphasized by the careful headwear that is decorated
with a bright red cloth, mirrors and cowry shells.
These are both symbols of authority and grandeur.
This is meant to incite both awe and respect, thus the
imposing presence created out of tons of layers of
raffia.
Beyond its natural value, lies a ceremonial role in
dance drama that the community demands and deserves.
In a sense, it belongs to the realm of the spirits.
Yet, it is the people’s spirit and therefore, dances
with them to the tune of their rhythm. That is why
they solemnly protect the spirit through three
staff-bearers scantily dressed in raffia skirts and
triangular designed dresses that are tied from the
neck and over the belly. The back is exposed, except
for the string holding the dress. In their hands,
they carry a brand of cloth customarily worn as
headwear by the women. These serve two purposes.
First, it identifies the three staff bearers as the
king’s protectors and foot soldiers. Second, it is
used as a fan to cool off the spirit during the hot
dry season. The warrior spirit is evident in this
formation.
The Mende of Sierra Leone are the descendants of the
Mande people. The Mande invaded the Guinea coast after
the fall of the great Songhai Empire. These were a
warlike people, led by a woman General, Masarioko. In
their path, they conquered, intermarried and
assimilated the vanquished nations. They built a
formidable empire and established their will on the
people through a complex social system that required
initiation into secret societies for both male and
female. For the female, the Sande Society was a
school for training and maintaining the social
sequence. It was the same for the men. The Poro
Society provided a training ground for strong,
confident and militarily competent youth.
Two spirits are associated with the Poro Society: The
first is the Gbani, a nocturnal spirit visible only to
members. The second is the Gorboi, the community
spirit. It requires an effective musical ensemble of
women with the dynamic drumming of Poro men to ignite
the flame in the spirit of the Gorboi. This is
necessary because the Gorboi, unlike the Gbani, comes
out more than once in the dry season. Every important
occasion, such as the crowning of a chief, the
celebration of a bountiful harvest, or, a funeral of
an important personality is reason enough to celebrate
with the Gorboi spirit.
Endowed with a social ceremonial status, the Gorboi is
also a political symbol whose role can be as satirical
as it could be somber. The Gorboi is like an
established newspaper with the community as its
journalists. Through the ears and eyes of the people,
society’s ills are brought to light and responsible
individuals and community leaders are chastised and
reprimanded through songs and mimes. The Gorboi is
the license to social criticism. Beyond that, any act
of political and social commentary will be a cause for
reprimand and, sometimes, with criminal implications.
The spirit of the Gorboi is sometimes furious, at
other times mellow, depending on the circumstance and
nature of the song. A strong caustic satire, resonate
with high-energy performance by the drummers, captures
the seriousness of the moment and of the alleged
accusation. This high rhythm possesses the spirit, as
well as its followers. Such moments make the
headlines and are the endless stories of the occasion,
months after the celebration is over.
The Procession of the Gorboi spirit from the Frank
Lyold-Wright Monona Terrace to the State Capitol and
back represents the highlight of African Fest 99. It
also highlights the African Community’s appreciation
of Madison’s cultural diversity.
By Abu-Hassan (Askia) Koroma
Secretary: African Fest 99 Festival Planning and
Implementation Committee; Chairman: Programs and
Activities sub-committee.
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