![]() The cloth puppets do not have a face this is a more recent development attributed to the influence of evolving Islam. ![]() All figures have a small orifice for their anus. In the same vein, female figures may have a vulva surrounded with coloured pubic hair. These entertainments parody out-of-control sexuality, and reinforce the norm that a Hausa must be able to dominate his/her sexual urges. During the performance, a puppet with an articulated penis is paraded about and sometimes thrust toward young female viewers, simulating sexual movements. Even nowadays, in the village of Doundou before the performance, two figurines with enlarged erect penises are carried about and placed near the puppet booth. The wooden figures with actual faces are considered to represent an older practice (which might relate to older use of fetishes): figures may be clothed or nude and frequently they may have an erect penis or visible vulva. Some are wrapped with leather amulets or covered with magical formulas written on paper. There are two types of puppets: wooden sculpted figures and cloth glove puppets. The puppeteer slips inside with his puppets and, sitting cross-legged on a mat, makes the puppets pop out through the neck opening in the robe. Cloth on top hides the interior of the puppet booth. The scenic design of this theatre – always produced outdoors – is composed of a puppet booth (French: castelet) in the shape of a tent, usually made from the puppeteer’s robe ( boubou) with a forked stick stuck in the ground and one or two other sticks to create a frame. In 1991, during the 9th Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes (World Puppetry Festival) at Charleville-Mézières in France, the Institut International de la Marionnette (IIM, International Institute of Puppetry) organized the “Marionnettes en Territoire Africain” (African Puppetry) event in which one of the great masters of this traditional Hausa theatre, Djibir Djouli, performed. French puppeteer and collector, Jacques Chesnais, attested to the continuance of this satirical Hausa theatre from a performance he saw in 1965 as did scholar-writers, Olenka and Denis Nidzgorski in 1992. Another mention can be found in the account of the 1923 Citroën Central-Africa Expedition, La Croisière Noire (The Citroën Central Africa Expedition: Black Journey), and also in a 1928 article by Henri Labouret and Moussa Travélé. Entitled “Guignol Touareg” (Puppets of the Tuareg People), it was penned by Fernand Foureau, chief of the Foureau-Lamy French Sahara Mission. ![]() The first account written in French about this theatre dates from April 1899. The puppeteer is called maï dabo (“master of magic”). The Republic of Niger (French: République du Niger), a landlocked country in Western Africa named after the Niger River, possesses a remarkable traditional Hausa puppet theatre (which can also be found in Nigeria among the Kanuri people) called diyan dabo (“children of magic”). ![]()
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