In February 2014 my husband and I visited two mask festivals: the 12th edition of the “Festival International des Masques et des Arts (FESTIMA) “, which takes place in Dédougou, Burkina Faso, every two years. It lasted from 24th February till 2nd March. Before we were in Man, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) where they celebrated the “Festival des 18 Montagnes de Man”, in Man, the town of 18 mountains, from 20th till 22nd February.
In 1995 some students had the idea what later resulted in the FESTIMA festival. They had noticed that the more society became modern and globalised the more masks, an important part of their tradition, were valued less and less. By inaugurating the festival which brought about an exchange between different cultures they managed to preserve and revitalize an immaterial heritage.
The initiative for the “Festival des 18 Montagnes de Man” also came from some young men who wanted to preserve their traditions. As the idea has become reality, there is now a parade of masks and a show of dances not only from Ivory Coast but also from Senegal, Benin and Burkina Faso.

Have a preview of my complete book about Burkina Faso(172 pages with 300 photos - including photos and descriptions of the mask festival FESTIMA. The texts in the book are in German. If you do not speak German, just enjoy the photos!