| Zaouli | |
| Genre: | Traditional dance |
| Origin: | Guro people, Ivory Coast |
| Ich: | Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d’Ivoire |
| State Party: | Ivory Coast |
| Id: | 01255 |
| Region: | AFR |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Session: | 12th |
| List: | Representative |
Zaouli is a traditional dance of the Guro people (who speak the Guro language) of central Ivory Coast. The Zaouli mask, used in the dance, was created in the 1950s, reportedly inspired by a girl named "Djela Lou Zaouli" (meaning "Zaouli, daughter of Djela").[1] However, stories on the origins of the characteristic mask are varied, and each mask may have its own symbolic history.[2] It was inscribed in 2017 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.[3]
Each Guro village has a local Zaouli dancer (always male), performing during funerals and celebrations. The dance is believed to increase the productivity of the village that it is performed in and is seen as a tool of unity for the Guro community, and by extension the whole country.
The British-Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. included a clip of a Zaouli dancer in her music video for the song "Warriors", released as part of the video Matahdatah Scroll 01: Broader Than A Border in 2015.
A popular video that includes the song "Bungee Jump" by electronic music artists Captain Hook & Astrix utilizes footage of Zaouli dancers.
In 2022, the K-pop girl group Nature released a music video for their single "Rica Rica", featuring choreography which is heavily inspired by Zaouli dance. Some internet users have criticised this use as inappropriate.[4]
Short videos of traditional Zaouli dances are also circulating on the Internet, the soundtrack of which has been replaced by fast, seemingly appropriate rhythms of psytrance music.