Zaouli
A Zaouli dancer | |
| Genre | Traditional dance |
|---|---|
| Origin | Guro people, Ivory Coast |
| Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d’Ivoire | |
|---|---|
| Country | Ivory Coast |
| Reference | 01255 |
| Region | Africa |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2017 (12th session) |
| List | Representative |
Zaouli or Zawli is a traditional dance of the Guro people (who speak the Guro language) of central Ivory Coast. It is performed by a single masked and costumed dancer, accompanied by musicians.
History
The Zaouli mask, used in the dance, was created in the 1950s, reportedly inspired by a girl named "Djela Lou Zaouli" (meaning "Zaouli, daughter of Djela").[1] Claudie Haxaire traces its origin to the village of Zougounéfla.[2] However, stories on the origins of the characteristic mask are varied, and each mask may have its own symbolic history.[3] It was inscribed in 2017 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.[4] Zaouli is also one of the most difficult dances in the world due its unique and difficult steps.[5][6]
The dance is performed by a single male dancer wearing a mask depicting a girl.[7]: 46 Each Guro village has a local Zaouli dancer (always male), performing during funerals and celebrations. The dance is believed to increase the productivity of the village that it is performed in and is seen as a tool of unity for the Guro community, and by extension the whole country.
Zaouli rose in prominence within the Ivory Coast because it was the favorite dance of Ivorian president Félix Houphouet-Boigny and was regularly broadcast on national TV as a result.[8]: 229
In popular culture
The British-Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. included a clip of a Zaouli dancer in her music video for the song "Warriors", released as part of the video Matahdatah Scroll 01: Broader Than A Border in 2015.
In 2022, the K-pop girl group Nature released a music video for their single "Rica Rica", featuring choreography which is heavily inspired by Zaouli dance.[9] Some internet users have criticised this use as inappropriate.[10]
Short videos of traditional Zaouli dances are also circulating on the Internet, the soundtrack of which has been replaced by fast, seemingly appropriate rhythms of psytrance music.
A Zaouli dancer appears in a crowd of people as part of a surreal musical sequence in the 2025 film Sinners.[11]
References
- ^ "Zaouli de Manfla: The Zaouli dance of the Ivory Coast, West Africa - The Kid Should See This". thekidshouldseethis.com. 3 November 2014.
- ^ Haxaire, Claudie (20 May 2022). "D'une compétition l'autre : le Zaouli gouro, le patrimoine immatériel et le politique:". Politique africaine (in French). 165 (1): 49–71. doi:10.3917/polaf.165.0049. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Guro Zaouli Mask of Ivory Coast". Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
- ^ "Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d'Ivoire". UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- ^ https://www.ndtv.com/feature/video-of-one-of-the-most-difficult-dances-zaouli-goes-viral-3688944
- ^ https://www.livemint.com/news/india/ivory-coast-s-zaouli-storms-internet-as-world-s-most-difficult-dances-11673600755335.html
- ^ Welsh-Asante, Kariamu (2010). African Dance. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60413-477-3. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Reed, Daniel B. (2008). ""The Tradition" and Identity in a Diversifying Context". In Stone, Ruth (ed.). The Garland Handbook of African Music, Second Edition.
- ^ Xu, Kaiyang; Wilson, Tiara (March 2025). "Interrogating the 'African troupe': The construction of Africanness and Blackness in Chinese consumption of K-pop videos". International Journal of Cultural Studies. 28 (2): 389–407. doi:10.1177/13678779241268131. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "'Rica Rica': NATURE trends for 'downgraded' performance after cultural appropriation". MEAWW. 2022-01-29.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (4 December 2025). "The Past Visits the Present". Variety. 370 (7): 27. ISSN 0042-2738.