Presenting more than 100 traditional, colorful puppets and masks used in Malian puppet theater, this book documents a collection that has been widely exhibited. One of the largest published surveys of Malian Bamana and Bozo puppet theater, it includes numerous pictures of puppets and masks in performance as well as detailed information on their size and construction. The text offers a historical overview of puppetry, focused on Africa, and a description of the cultural tradition that gave rise to and sustains Malian Sogo B puppet theatre, a community-based, multi-media spectacle. This is an excellent reference for anyone interested in puppetry, performance theater, masquerade, African music and dance, and African sculpture.


Mary Sue Rosen is a member of the Writing Program faculty of The New School in New York City and Paul Peter Rosen, MD is Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. For many years, they have collaborated on collecting African art and writing numerous catalogs for exhibitions from their collection.