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Maske' by Phyllis Galembo
For the last several decades, photographer Phyllis Galembo has visited and revisited far-flung villages where traditional masquerades -- social gatherings centered around men and women wearing symbolic costumes -- serve vital social and even governmental functions. Her new book, Maske, (published by Chris Boot, $45) gathers together many of the stunning photographs from her journeys. This photograph was taken in Jacmel, Haiti, and shows a man who belongs to a rough-hewn "gym." Its members put on annual masquerades, coating their bodies with charcoal and sugarcane syrup. "This particular group of men go out and they do kind of slavery reenactments," Galembo says. "These are the walls of the gym you're looking at." [/quote]
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| Spoiler for photo:  Skull in Charge This man was photographed in Calabar South, Nigeria, in 2005, and was a member of the Ekpo or "ghost" group of maskers, an integral part of local society. "The Ekpo keep people in order. They're used as a form of government in a sense," Galembo notes. "These are really serious masquerades. Sometimes they pay homage to people who have died, or to young people, and it's part of their cultural traditions." |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Yaie Men of Bansie Village, Burkina Faso As a photographer, Galembo had to be keenly sensitive to the traditions she was recording, including knowing when it was time to put the camera away. "Once in Burkina Faso, I was taking a picture of a single masquerader, and there were a couple hundred people surrounding the masquerader. Then the masquerader appeared and said, that I have to leave because it's time for them to do their own thing. Sometimes, all of a sudden, someone will say, 'This isn't the right thing to do.'" |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Red and Green Three painted boys pose in Jacmel, Haiti. "I can’t believe they even paint their bodies with his paint -- it’s like house paint," Galembo says. "Some years they do all different colors. The head person of the group will get inspired by a dream he has. It's like a Jackson Pollock painting come to life." |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Big Man, Big Deer A man is dressed as a big deer in Kroo Bay, Sierra Leone, in 2008. "Sometimes I'll go back and give people their photos, and it's interesting to see them again without their masks. I'm always amazed by the transformation," Galembo says. "I thought this one man was a huge, powerful person, and then when I met them in person, he was a petite, quiet man." |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Beach Boy in Black, Jacmel, Haiti, 2004 In Haiti, the masks often reflect political and cultural realities, such as the popular caricatures of Gen. Charles Oscar Etienne, Jacmel's ruler at the turn of the 20th century. His imitators wear comically flashy gold epaulettes, huge white teeth, and fat red lips. Others, like this boy, make do with simpler costumes. |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Little Devils of Sierra Leone A devil and his companion make fierce faces in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 2008. "They sort of have a quasi-battle in Sierra Leone on New Year's Day where these men's clubs or cultural groups with names like Bloody Mary or Firestone come together to make the most powerful devil they can," Galembo says. "Sometimes they encounter another devil [on the street]. They don't really fight, but it wouldn't surprise me. The street is mobbed with people." |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Horned Devil, Sierra Leone "I was totally shocked [by the exotic costumes], especially in Sierra Leone," Galembo says. "Where is a water buffalo coming from? You wouldn't see a reindeer in Sierra Leone. Members of the diaspora are coming back with some of these animals from other parts of the world." |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Woman Who Dances, Fullahtown, Sierra Leone, 2008 Though played by men, some of the traditional masqueraders, called Jollay, are explicitly female (as opposed to the masculine and aggressive devil characters) |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Grassy Man This photograph is of a Gwarama masquerader in Yegueresso Village, Burkina Faso, in 2006. The maskers mostly use fragile, natural materials such as grass, leaves, cotton, and raffia, and the costumes gradually disintegrate during their rituals. |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Panther Man, Samaga Village, Burkina Faso, 2006 Many of Burkina Faso's masquerades are celebrations of spring, fertility, and prosperity, and are tied to the agricultural cycles. People dress as spirits and animals. In some primarily Muslim communities, the masquerades are the province of children during Ramadan, who usually dress as wild animals. |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Elap Masquerade, Etukubi Village, Nigeria, 2004 In Nigeria, Galembo rarely had more than 15 minutes in which to prepare her portraits, gather her subjects, and then shoot them before they dispersed. She had to gain the approval of local chiefs and elders before being allowed to photograph the masqueraders. |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Akata Masquerade, Eshinjok Village, Nigeria 2004 In the women's masking ceremonies of Agot, the masqueraders conceal their faces and bodies with cloth and wear elaborate headpieces that signify the wearer as either male or female. |
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| Spoiler for photo:  Man With Whip, Jacmel, Haiti 2004 In Jacmel, the masqueraders travel in troupes that vary widely in size. Many of the costumes are used in reenactments of mythical escapes from slavery. To see more of Galembo's work, |
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