YAYA COULIBALY is a talented puppeteer, musician, sculptor and playwright. He comes from a family of performers and began his initiation into the magical world of puppet and masquerade figures at the age of ten. YAYA studied art at the Bamako National Institute of the Arts and studied Puppet Theater at the Institute International del la Marionette in France. He formed his own puppet troupe, Sogolon, in `1980.

YAYA has created a new and dynamic puppet theater, which draws from the ancient traditions of puppetry in West Africa. His performances incorporate traditional folk tales and legends and episodes from Mali's great epics, as well as colonial history and commentary on contemporary life in Mali.

He uses many techniques in his performances including hand puppets, rod puppets, marionettes, masks and live music. His characters include the wily billy goat, the elegant antelope, the ferocious lion, the beguiling Bamana woman, the dignified village chief, the Mande king and the seductive water spirit with her long flowing hair. YAYA has been featured at international festivals in Africa.

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