West African Voodoo Dancing Masks

Gelede Mask Dance
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Gelede Mask Dance
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Drummers and singers are an integral part of voodoo ceremonies, acting as the conduit for the spirits to journey into the ceremony like this Gelede mask ceremony in Benin, West Africa. The powerful sound evokes the deity to visit voodoo mask dances.

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—Photograph and caption by Chris Rainier, copyright National Geographic Society
 

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