BEDU (DANCE MOON) HWELA COTE DIVOIRE The Bedu mask is also known as the Dance Moon mask. These masks are amongst
the largest in Africa but they are also a relatively young group, deriving from
Nafana sculptors in the 1930s. They emerged from an older, rather sinister
cult. The Bedu, however, were free of such references. They were intended to
celebrate village and family values and to remedy wrongs and imbalances, both
large and small. They also helped communities allay anxieties resulting from
colonial rule.
