© I. Fornasiero
Moving westwards, towards the border with Liberia, the cocoa and hevea (rubber tree) plantations and palm groves give way to the intense green of the tropical forest. Tall trees tower above the surrounding landscape and the vegetation becomes increasingly dense.
This lush nature is the backdrop to the city of Man, the so-called ‘city of 18 mountains’, which owes its name to the striking reliefs that enliven its urban fabric. Man, inhabited by more than 80,000 people, mostly from the Dan (or Yacouba) group, with a waterfall within walking distance of the city centre, a forest populated by sacred monkeys, and lively neighbourhoods animated by craft shops and markets, offers unusual and evocative scenery.
But the real strength of this region are the characteristic villages that dot the surrounding area. Villages where the inhabitants are custodians of ancient traditions handed down from generation to generation through elaborate initiation rituals.
Here, masks are the dominant feature and represent the link between the world of humans and the magic of an “elsewhere” where spirits and ancestors reside, ready to manifest themselves during the frequent ritual ceremonies involving the entire village population. The tam-tam of the drums, the chants of the women and the cries of the initiates invoke the masks secretly kept in the heart of the sacred forests, and these, coming out into the open in a pre-established order, begin to dance. The first to come out is usually the Gué None mask, which only men can wear, despite having female features and symbolising fertility. But of all, the most spectacular are the masks on stilts. High figures perform acrobatic evolutions and dances with enthralling rhythms and the active participation of onlookers.
Finally, in these areas, as you get closer to the country border, you will be able to experience the thrill of walking barefoot (as the local custom dictates) on floating liana bridges suspended over the river. Bridges whose origin is shrouded in mystery and are still said to be made secretly, in a single night, by young initiates.
