Mask worship and the search for peace among the San (Burkina Faso)

The San or Samo are located in the Sanpiè (San country) in the northwest of Burkina Faso. They practise the cult of masks called sou, which they adopted from their southern neighbours the Nuna-Léla 'Gurunsi' probably around the 18th century. The San society that uses masks is limited to the southern part of the country, where about twenty villages have known masks, even if today barely half of them use them. The celebration of the sou in the San villages has among other objectives the establishment of peace. The present reflection establishes a relationship between the cult of masks and peace. The search for peace is one of the reasons why the San have borrowed the penny. Also, the analysis of the behaviours imposed during the period of this cult reflects the San's desire to make their social environment a calm place during this time.