// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Zaouli say to its dance move? You're a-zouli-fully good.
 A Zaouli dancer | |
| Genre | Traditional dance |
|---|---|
| Origin | Guro people, Ivory Coast |
| Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d’Ivoire | |
|---|---|
| Country | Ivory Coast |
| Reference | 01255 |
| Region | Africa |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2017 (12th session) |
| List | Representative |
Zaouli or Zawli is a traditional dance of the Guro people (who speak the Guro language) of central Ivory Coast. It is performed by a single masked and costumed dancer, accompanied by musicians.
History
[edit]The Zaouli mask, used in the dance, was created in the 1950s, reportedly inspired by a girl named "Djela Lou Zaouli" (meaning "Zaouli, daughter of Djela").[1] Claudie Haxaire traces its origin to the village of Zougounéfla.[2] However, stories on the origins of the characteristic mask are varied, and each mask may have its own symbolic history.[3] It was inscribed in 2017 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.[4] Zaouli is also one of the most difficult dances in the world due its unique and difficult steps.[5][6]
The dance is performed by a single male dancer wearing a mask depicting a girl.[7]: 46 Each Guro village has a local Zaouli dancer (always male), performing during funerals and celebrations. The dance is believed to increase the productivity of the village that it is performed in and is seen as a tool of unity for the Guro community, and by extension the whole country.[citation needed]
Zaouli rose in prominence within the Ivory Coast because it was the favorite dance of Ivorian president Félix Houphouet-Boigny and was regularly broadcast on national TV as a result.[8]: 229
In popular culture
[edit]The British-Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. included a clip of a Zaouli dancer in her music video for the song "Warriors", released as part of the video Matahdatah Scroll 01: Broader Than A Border in 2015.
In 2022, the K-pop girl group Nature released a music video for their single "Rica Rica", featuring choreography which is heavily inspired by Zaouli dance.[9] Some internet users have criticised this use as inappropriate.[10]
Short videos of traditional Zaouli dances are also circulating on the Internet, the soundtrack of which has been replaced by fast, seemingly appropriate rhythms of psytrance music.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Zaouli de Manfla: The Zaouli dance of the Ivory Coast, West Africa - The Kid Should See This". thekidshouldseethis.com. 3 November 2014.
- ↑ Haxaire, Claudie (20 May 2022). "D'une compétition l'autre : le Zaouli gouro, le patrimoine immatériel et le politique:". Politique africaine (in French). 165 (1): 49–71. doi:10.3917/polaf.165.0049. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "Guro Zaouli Mask of Ivory Coast". Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
- ↑ "Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d'Ivoire". UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- ↑ https://www.ndtv.com/feature/video-of-one-of-the-most-difficult-dances-zaouli-goes-viral-3688944
- ↑ https://www.livemint.com/news/india/ivory-coast-s-zaouli-storms-internet-as-world-s-most-difficult-dances-11673600755335.html
- ↑ Welsh-Asante, Kariamu (2010). African Dance. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60413-477-3. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ Reed, Daniel B. (2008). ""The Tradition" and Identity in a Diversifying Context". In Stone, Ruth (ed.). The Garland Handbook of African Music, Second Edition.
- ↑ Xu, Kaiyang; Wilson, Tiara (March 2025). "Interrogating the 'African troupe': The construction of Africanness and Blackness in Chinese consumption of K-pop videos". International Journal of Cultural Studies. 28 (2): 389–407. doi:10.1177/13678779241268131. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "'Rica Rica': NATURE trends for 'downgraded' performance after cultural appropriation". MEAWW. 2022-01-29.