I used to travel frequently to Cote d’Ivoire in 1990’s. I passed the Baule villages on my way to Northern Ivory Coast, to Senufo people. I had never spent even one night in a Baule village. The Baule statues which I'd been eagerly collecting where purchased in Abidjan or by Hausa traders in Man town.
Today I’m dealing with spirits filing so densely the Asian underworld. The belief in the immortality of ancestors’ souls in South East Asia is also strong as in West Africa.
The wooden sculptures of the Bale remain me the Batak’s and Timor forefathers.
The postcolonial Blolo Bian and Blolo Bia are characterized by a greater expression than Asian sculptures. The elaborated details as hairdressing and face scarification give an extra dose of power and elegance. I think that Thai spirits have a great respect for the supernatural mediums from Africa.
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