Boloye: a Senufo Rhythm of the Fodono of Korhogo

Boloye is performed here by Groupe Boloye Abobo. My aim with this shoot was to learn about intangible rhythm heritage of the Senufo people and capture a high-quality representation. I will make this data accessible to Africa and the diaspora via my digital archive, the Unity Atlantic Rhythm Map and related citable datasets and scholarly journal(s). To identify trustworthy representatives of intangible heritage, I worked with a local Ivorian dancer Andrienne Broh Zokou, who co-curated rhythms and recruited artists for Unity Map recordings in Abidjan. A secret and sacred dance, Boloye is traditionally performed at night (although this is changing through the influence of tourism). Lacking the resources for a night shoot, we compromised with a sunset shoot in a shared yard bordered by a public street, in the 'quartier populaire' of Koumassi. Thanks to Adjo at Residence Kamac for welcoming us into the yard, under the mango tree. The spokesman for the group appreciated this performance space, saying its exactly like their (ritual practice) place – in Abobo, Abidjan and back home in their village of Korhogo. This fieldwork was grant aided by ALLPHA@ University of Toulouse and the UCC Danijela Kulezic-Wilson award, in partial completion of my PhD. The full-length movie (26 min) is temporarily restricted/embargoed so that it can participate in film festivals, publications etc for maximum audience/impact.