puppets guide - Museum for African Art

At Arm’s Length: The Art of African Puppetry 

February 17–April 15, 2006 

Teachers’ Guide

Dear Educator: 

Welcome and Introduction to Educators 

At Arm’s Length: The Art of African Puppetry juxtaposes two different African sculptural 

and theatrical traditions — South African puppets created by The Handspring Company 

from Cape Town and Malian puppets from the Sogolon Troupe in Bamako. Amazing 

colorful puppets, performance videos, and photographs from Mali and South Africa 

show the creative possibilities of a true synthesis of the arts of two culturally distinct 

regions. The exhibition features nearly 100 animated puppets, marionettes, and puppet 

sculptures used in traditional and contemporary African theatrical performances. Bridging 

many artistic traditions, At Arm’s Length features an encounter between South and 

West Africa and between the traditional and the contemporary. 

It is on view at the World Financial Center Courtyard Gallery from February 17 through 

April 15, 2006. This guide encourages interdisciplinary study of visual arts, language 

arts, and social studies for students (grades 1 to 12). Throughout this guide you will find 

discussion questions and activities that may be infused with your curriculum as a 

complement to your visit of the exhibition. 

The Museum for African Art offers school tours at group rates. To find out more about 

school tours and staff development opportunities, please contact the Senior Museum 

Educator at 718-781-7700 ext. 117 or email festrada@africanart.org. 

Sincerely, 

MuseumforAfricanArt 

Rashmi Viswanathan Francis Estrada 

Education Assistant Senior Museum Educator 

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I. 

II. 


Table of Contents 

A. Fact sheet on South Africa……………………………………….....................4 

B. Fact sheet activity………………………………………………...….................4 

C. Fact sheet on Mali…………………………………………………....................6 

D. Fact sheet activity…………………………………………………….................6 

A. Introduction to Traditional Malian Arts of Puppetry………………...…..........7 

-Activity (4th -8th grades)- Creating an animal that represents you............8 

B. Sogo Bo Masquerades...............................................................................9 

-Activity:(9th-12th grades) Gestural Storytelling…………………...............9 

-Activity: (3rd-7th grades) Creating Puppets……………………...............10 

C. Yaya Coulibaly and the Sogolon Puppet Troupe......................................12 

-Activity: (2nd-5th grades) Mask making.................................................13 

D. Handspring Puppet Theater…………………………………………............14 

-Activity: (8th-12th grades) Contemporizing issues : 

Updating the narrative………………………………................................15 

E. Glossary ……………………………………………………………....….........16 

D. Bibliography ……………………………………………………………...........16 

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South Africa 

The Republic of South Africa, located 

on the southernmost tip of the continent 

of Africa, is bordered on the south and 

east by the Indian Ocean and by the Atlantic 

Ocean on the west. Its neighboring 

countries are Zimbabwe and 

Botswana in the north, Namibia in the 

northwest, and Swaziland and 

Mozambique in the northeast. At 

471,008 square miles it is almost twice 

the size of Texas, Cape Town being the 

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/flags/sf-flag.html largest city and capital. With mining as 

its major industry, South Africa is the 

world’s largest producer of gold, platinum, and chromium; producing about $36.77 billion 

in exports of gold, diamonds, platinum, and other metals and minerals. 

South Africa is estimated 

to have a population of 

42,718,530. The ethnic 

make up of the country is 

75.2% black, 13.6% white, 

8.6% colored (mixed races), 

and 2.6% Indian. There are 

11 different official languages, 

including Afrikaans, 

English, Ndebele, Pedi, 

Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, 

Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and 

Zulu. It is demarcated into 

nine provinces consisting of 

the Gauteng, Northern Province, 

Mpumalanga, North 

West, KwaZulu/Natal, East- 

MapcourtesyofLonelyPlanetwww.lonelyplanet.com 

ern Cape, Western Cape, 

Northern Cape, and Free State. Consisting of vast interior plateaus enclosed by rugged 

hills and coastal plains, its weather is semiarid and subtropical along the coastline. 

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Standards and Activities (K-12 Grades) 


Social Studies: 

Geography: Places and Regions 

Economics: Economic Systems, Factors of Production 

History: Culture, Identity 

English: E3b 

Speaking, Listening and Viewing: The student participates in group meetings. 

Discussion Questions: 

Note to the teacher: Mount a map of South Africa on the board. 

1. Have you ever heard of South Africa? 

2. What do you know about this country? 

3. Find South Africa on a map of the world. 

4. What is the capital of South Africa? 

5. Using lines of latitude and longitude, find the absolute location of the capital. 

6. Looking at the map, where do you think people settle and live? Why? 

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Mali 

The country of Mali is located in Western 

Africa, bordered by Niger to the east, 

and Burkina Faso to the south. 

Mali is approximately 1.24 million 

square mile (less than 2xTexas). The climate 

ranges from subtropical to arid. The 

mostly flat plains of Mali turn to stretches 

of sand savannah in the South, and rugged 

hills in the North East. The major 

resources are gold, phosphates, salt, and 

uranium. The population is over 12 mil- 

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/flags/ml-flag.html 

lion, of which roughly is 50% Mande 

(Bamana, Malinke, Soninke), Approximately 90% of the population speak French, and 

80% Bamana. A vast majority of the population is Muslim, the number hovering around 

90%. 

Standards and Activities (K-12 th Grades) 

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ 

geos/ml.html 

3.Who was the first democratically elected president of Mali? 

4.What is the capital of Mali? 

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Social Studies: 

Geography: Places and Regions 

Economics: Economic Systems, Factors of Production 

History: Culture, Identity 

English: E3b 

Speaking, Listening and Viewing: The student 

participates in group meetings. 

Atlas Activity: 

Note to the teacher: Mount a map of Mali on the 

board. 

1.Students, either in groups or individually, must 

locate Mali on a map of the African continent. 

What country is directly east of the city of Gao? 

2.What is the lowest point in Mali?

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A. Introduction to Traditional Malian Arts of Puppetry 

At Arm’s Length: The Art of African Puppetry, places the contemporary and the traditional 

side by side. The ancient arts of the Malian puppetry are shown alongside their 

contemporary successors, the puppets of the Sogolon Puppet Troupe in Bamako, Maliand 

the Handspring Puppet Company, of Johannesburg, South Africa. 

The art of Malian puppet theater, the Sogo bo 

(the animals come forth), practiced by the Bamana 

of Mali and originated by the fishing community of 

Bozo, dates back to pre-colonial Mali. Sogo bo, a 

performance of puppet and mask dances, tells stories 

of Malian tradition, imparting valuable lessons 

in morality while entertaining the audience. 

Within theSogo bo performance animals of the 

bush are paramount.“The Bamana describe themselves 

as cultivators and hunting people, and it is 

therefore animals from the bush that predominate.” The animal characters represent far 

more than their counterparts in the bush. They are the symbols-the tangible manifestation 

of the essential force of the animal. They are the imperial majesty of the buffalo or the 

conniving duplicity of the hare. The qualities are implied through the costume and the 

dance of the masker. The buffalo masker regally marches about, and the youthful spark of 

the hare can be seen in its quick, vigorous movements. 

The antelope can be seen striding gracefully, 

and the baboon jumps about with vigor.

Standards and Activities (4 th -8 th grades) 

Visual Arts 

Art Making: The students exercise imagination and construct meanings 

English: E4 a: 

Conventions, Grammar, and Use of the English Language: The students demonstrate 

an understanding of the rules of the English Language in written and oral work 

Materials: 

-colored pencils 

-crayons 

-markers 

-paper 


What animal best represents you? Are you stealthy like a cat, sneaky like a hyena, or 

proud like a lion? 

Lesson: A: Write down the name of your animal, and make a list of adjectives. 

1.Brainstorm- write down every characteristic that comes to mind. Make your list as long 

and colorful as possible. 

Using the materials listed in the previous page, draw your animal. Try to capture the spirit 

of the 

adjectives in your drawing. You do not have to be a master artist- just use your 

imagination. Your animal should be as colorful as you are! 

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B. Sogo Bo Masquerades 

The Sogo bo masquerades are organized by the village youth associations, the kamalenton, 

and the subject matter most commonly dealt with is hunting and heroic behavior. The 

youth associations, in essence, own the masquerades. They organize the activities of the 

night, and it is their stories that the masquerades tell. Weeks prior to the fete, the youth 

organizations meet frequently, planning and choreographing the events of the masquerades. 

The youths of the kamalen-ton choose the cast of characters, the costumes, the 

stories, and the masks that will be used. They may choose to bring out and refurbish used 

masks or create new ones. Their mothers, wives, and sisters provide the textiles necessary 

for the costumes. Once the major planning is completed, the youth organizations 

split into smaller groups and work on the particular renovation or construction projects 

assigned to them. Throughout this process, the older men act as consultants, offering 

advice on the construction of the more intricate puppets. 

Standards and Activities (9th-12th grades) 

English: E5 

Literature: The students respond to non-fiction, fiction, poetry and drama using interpretive 

and critical processes. 

This is a great time to explore the art of gestural storytelling. The stories of 

the Malian puppet plays are narrated without words, told through the motions of the maskers 

and the rhythm of the drums. 

Charades: 

Activity: Each student will write down the name of a movie, song, or album on a slip of 

paper and deposit the slip into a bag. 

Teacher: You may want to review these names before the charades begins. You may also 

choose to come up with your own list of names based on the current lesson. 

Split the class into four groups. 

Each group designates a number for each member ( I will go first, you second…) 

Group No.1 steps forward, and the first representative grabs a name from the bag, and 

attempts to convey the name to his group purely through gesture. Each “charader” is 

given one minute. 

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The puppet masks of the Sogo bo are generally worn over the bodies of the performers 

(usually two men). The performer(s), surrounded by the wooden frame of their puppet 

masks, are hidden from view by straw and cloth which cover the frame.The head of the 

puppet is manipulatable , and from within, the performers move the puppet about in dance. 

The Sogo bo performance takes place at night, and can carry on well into the early 

morning hours, consisting of more than twenty sets of dances. Called to the dance by the 

beat of the drums, the maskers, either individually or in small groups, dance in character. 

The large and powerful beasts lumber about slowly, majestically (the more powerful ones 

come out towards the end of the night), while the energy and spark of youth can be seen 

in the dance of the smaller animals. Each dance set lasts only five to ten minutes, and in 

between, the women’s chorus provide song (praise songs for the animals). The chorus, 

however, does not perform during the dance sets- the sets are without voice. It is the 

masks, the movement of the maskers, and the beat of the drums that tell the story. 

Standards and Activities (3rd-7th grades) 

Visual Arts: 

Art Making: The students extend knowledge of art media and compositional and design 

elements 

Social Studies 

History: Belief systems, Culture 

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Malian puppetry features maaniw, “little people” or puppets in human form. They range in 

size, from small hand-held rod puppets to almost 6-foot tall figures. Maaniw play an 

important role in initiation ceremonies and often appear at nighttime on the backs of kalaka 

(small stages in the form of a body). They often speak of the individual’s place in society 

and teach morals. 

Materials Needed: 

- Papier mache materials (strips of newspaper and papier mache glue) or plastercast 

- old newspapers 

- masking tape 

- tube from empty paper towel roll 

- paint 

- barbecue sticks 

- fabric 

-glue gun (optional) 

Procedure: 

Note: Show images of various maaniw to your students. You can also search online using 

the following link: 

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=malian+puppets 

1. Using the images as reference, sketch your design 

for a puppet. 

2. Roll up some newspaper pages into a small ball 

(this will serve as the head for your puppet). When 

you have reached the size you like, cover it with masking 

tape entirely. 

You can add features such as noses, ears, eyebrows, 

and lips by shaping some strips of paper into those 

shapes and taping them to the ball. 

3. Attach the “head” onto the paper towel roll (this will 

serve as support as well as the neck). 

4. Using the same method for the head, shape some paper into small ovals to serve as 

hands and attach to barbecue sticks. 

5. Cover the head and hand forms with papier mache or plastercast and allow drying. 

6. You can attach the “arms” to the paper towel roll by piercing the barbecue sticks into the 

roll or by using a glue gun. 

7. While waiting for the head and hands to dry, you can design patterns onto the fabric to 

be used as the puppet’s clothing. 

8. Once the papier mache or plastercast is dry, you may paint the faces and hands. 

9. Wrap the “clothing” on your puppet. 

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C. Yaya Coulibaly and the Sogolon Puppet Troupe 

The Sogo bo is about more than just the plays and the puppets. It is an opportunity for 

the community to come together in a festive atmosphere. On the day of the performance, 

the young women collect and prepare food together, as the boys hurry about preparing 

the events of the night. Make shift shelters for dignitaries are constructed, loud speakers 

are borrowed, and benches are gathered about for the performance. Towards late afternoon 

the animal horn trumpet sounds the call to the festivities, and children gather about 

and play the drums laid out for the performers. Often, before the convening of the plays, 

young men compete against each other in shows of acrobatic and athletic prowess. To the 

beat of the drums, they attempt to outrun, out-jump, and outlast each other, in the banjalan 

competition. They are cheered on by the assembled crowd, and girls run to their favorites 

and bestow them with ribbons and cloth, as symbols of their well wishes. The games 

continue through the afternoon, and with the setting of the sun comes the arrival of the 

puppet creations of the youth group. 

Though there are certain tenets that are retained in the storytelling, it is by no means a 

static tradition. Puppet plays that were once held only on specified days are now held on 

weekends, to accommodate the schedule of those who have left the village to make a 

living in bigger cities. Modern issues are dealt with, and the plays continue to reflect the 

lives and times of the Bamana. 

The invention of new forms or the selective borrowing of forms from other 

performance tradition seems to have been a continual and self-conscious 

strategy, which these troupe’s regularly employed(…) It has contributed 

to the sustained vitality of the theater(…) 

Yaya Coulibaly, 7th generation descendant 

of Mamari Biton Coulibaly (King of Segou region 

of Mali) is the director of the Sogolon 

Puppet Troupe. Coulibaly graduated from the 

National Institute of Arts in Bamako in 1981, 

and in 1988 went on to receive a diploma 

from l’Institute International de la Marionette 

in France. His youth was spent mastering the 

traditional Malian arts of puppetry, a knowledge 

which he has brought to the Sogolon 

Troupe. But he does not rest with tradition. 

Malian puppet performances are voiceless, but 

Yaya has chosen to integrate voice and performance, 

just as he has created string marionettes 

of some of his puppets (a style not traditionally associated with Bamana puppetry). 

Coulibaly is a master puppeteer, who has innovatively integrated the Bamana and 

European techniques of puppetry to form a uniquely contemporary approach to theater. 

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Standards and Activities (2nd-5th grades) 

Visual Arts: 

Art Making: The students choose new ways of using familiar tools and materials 


History: Belief systems, Culture 

Mask Activity 

The puppets of the Sogolon are rich with meaning. Their colors and their clothes all carry 

meaning. The blue of a puppet may symbolize water and fishing, white 

may symbolize bone and ancestry. Using the idea of symbols, let’s try to make puppet 

masks that represent ourselves. 

Can you think of three things that symbolize your qualities? Think of three of your most 

outstanding qualities. For example: I love sports. I am energetic. I am nice. Now think of a 

symbol for each quality. For example: A soccer ball, the sun, or a 

smiling face. 

Materials: color pencils, markers, construction paper of various colors, 

scissors, glue, tape. 

Using the materials listed above, draw the symbols that represent you. Be creative. 

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D. Handspring Puppet Theater 

And contemporary techniques and issues, have 

found voice in the theater of the Handspring Puppet 

Company. Originally begun as a forum for 

children’s puppet theater, Handspring has found 

a home with adult audiences. Through the eclectic 

use of mixed media- from animation to puppets 

to live actors, the Company has innovatively 

integrated puppetry techniques from around the 

world. Dating from their first adult production, “Episodes 

of an Easter Rising” (name year) , which 

utilized the traditionally European marionette, to 

their most recent “Tall Horse” production, the Handspring have fluidly combined elements 

of Japanese Bonruku, German puppetry, Malian mask tradition, and contemporary mixed 

media, to create a unique approach to theater. It was a Bamana puppet serendipitously 

bought by Kohler on a trip to Johannesburg that inspired Basil Jones to incorporate Malian 

techniques. 

The puppets of the Handspring are as varied as the issues 

they deal with. Masterfully carved by Adrian Kohler, the characters 

of Faust are roughly hewn from wood, lending them a 

rough expressivity unusual to wooden puppets. The giraffes 

of “Tall Horse”, and the chimps of the “Chimp project “ created 

of mixed media, expose their frame and exude a skeletal, visceral 

intensity unique to these creations. Imagination and skill 

bring the wood, cloth, and mixed media to life, but no less 

worthy of mention is the format within which these puppets 

perform. Puppets act alongside human actors, and often times 

background animation complements the action. 

Visionary artist William Kentridge 

brings the dimension of animation to Handspring’s productions. 

Kentridge, perhaps one of the most recognizable artists from the 

thriving Johannesburg art scene, specializes in charcoal drawings, 

which are turned into animation shorts and backgrounds for the 

productions. The collaboration could not be better suited- as William 

Kentridge writes in Episodes (exhibition catalogue booklet) of 

Kohler’s creations- “(the) structure (…of) the puppet (…) will be 

given by shadow and relief (p.3).” 

It is the character of the imprecision which lends definition and 

emotive power to the puppets of Handspring. Kentridge, of himself, 

has written that he deals in “an art of ambiguity, contradiction, 

uncompleted gestures and uncertain ending”. 

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Standards and Activities (8th-12th Grades) 


History: Change, Culture, Empathy 

English: 

E2b: Writing: The students produce a response to literature 

E2c: Writing: The students produce a narrative account 

E5a: Literature: The students respond to non-ficition, fiction, poetry, and drama using 

interpretive and critical processes 

E5b: Literature: The students produce work in at least one genre that follows the conventions 

of the genre 

The theater of The Handspring Puppet Company deals with complex 

contemporary subject matter. By taking old stories, and updating them with modern issues, 

the Company has made their theater relevant to adults of today. 

Can you think of issues that you would like to see dealt with in modern theater? Keep in 

mind that many of the Handspring’s plays (i.e. The Odyssey, Faust) have retained their 

ancient storylines, while the settings and details have changed. But the themes have not 

changed. A truly good storyline is timeless. 

Can you think of an old story that you would like to update? For example: The story of 

Dr.Faustus, set in 15th century Germany, is that of a man of learning whose ambition 

exceeds his wisdom. He trades his soul to the devil for riches, experience, and knowledge. 

The Handspring adaptation has changed the setting to South Africa, and the doctor 

is a bureaucrat in the South African Colonial government. His greed is the greed of colonialism. 

Here are a few great stories to choose from (but try to think of a few on your own!): 

Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Catcher in the Rye… 

Consider the main themes of these stories. Is it love, alienation, prejudice, greed? 

Come up with a modern cast of characters, and a modern setting. Adapt the storyto deal 

with issues you care about. Use your imagination, and make the story your own. 

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Glossary 

Bamana-refers to a language and ethnic group in south Central Mali 

Banjalan-(young) men’s acrobatic dance competition 

Bozo-refers to an ethnic group of south central Mali 

Bonruku-a style of Japanese puppet theater 

Kamalen ton-youth association, responsible for Sogo Bo masquerades 

Maaniw-rod and spring puppet representing a person or spirit 

Marionette-a jointed puppet menipulated from above by strings or wires attached 

to its limbs 

Masker-the person (in most cases a man) who performs with the mask 

Sogo bo-puppet masquerade theater organized by the village youth association: 

literally meaning “the animals come forth” 

Bibliography 

1.Donald, Janni. “Sogo Puppets and Ritual Objects in Bamana Culture” Patrimony. 

2.Arnoldi, Mary Jo. “The Sogow: Imagining a Moral Universe Through Sogo Bo Masquerades.” 

The Art of Existence in Mali. Ed. J.P.Colleyn. New York: Museum for African 

Art, 2001. 77-78. 

3.Kentridge, William. “An Unwilling Suspension of Disbelief”. Episodes. 

4. Art Throb. Sue Williamson. July 1999 #23. Contemporary Art in South Africa. 

3/15/06 http://www.artthrob.co.za/99may/artbio.htm. 

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Notes 

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