One of the most famous festivals in Ivory Coast is the Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks), which takes place in the region of Man occurs in November. Numerous small villages in the region hold contests to determine the best dancers and to pay homage to the forested spirits embodied by the villagers who wear colorful costumes and masks.

At the Goli mask dance, you may attend a ritual where two kinds of masks in the village, human face masks known as “kpan” and disc-faced masks known as “kple kple”. Women start to dance and sing sometimes in advance to beg the masks to come. Afterwards, the women then welcome the masks, fanning them with scarves and dancing joyously. Kple Kple masks are exclusively called in the time of danger or during funeral ceremonies.

The dance has been hailed for uniting the people of Ivory Coast who have been fighting following increased cases of tribalism fuelled by politics. They say that through the festival, they have realized that though they are from different communities, they share so much in common.

Where: Man

When: November

The Bouake Carnival is held at St. Michael’s Cathedral and is known as a celebration of life and friendship. Tourists and natives join together to enjoy great music, eat traditional foods, explore cultural markets and join in the well-known street parties and parades. This annual carnival includes a long line up of local artists and musicians that come from all over the continent of Africa to be a part of this celebration.

Carnivals offer everyone a dynamic tool of self-expression and a comfortable place for us to seek out our roots. It is a place where distinctive cultures are respected for their differences and praised for their similarities. But most importantly, it is an environment that unites not only the continent of Africa but also the entire world so that we can all celebrate our diversity. So if you are looking for a hot spot, or maybe even a little culture shock, you should definitely go and check out one of the most famous festivals in Ivory Coast, Bouake Carnival.

Where: St. Michael's Cathedral

When: March - April

The Dipri Festival is a celebration held by the Abidji tribe in Gomon, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The Abidjis are one of about 60 ethnic groups in the country, which became a French colony in 1893 and attained independence in 1960.

First, relatives or neighbors meet on the evening before the celebration to reconcile their differences. Then, during the festival, people go into frenzied trances as they are possessed by sÉkÉs —beneficent spirits—and stumble, dazed, in the street. Some people, supposedly led by the spirits, plunge knives into their bodies and then, with the guidance of the sÉkÉs, are healed with poultices of raw eggs and herbs. This festival serves several purposes: it resolves conflicts between generations and in the community, it drives away evil spirits, and it purifies the celebrants.

Where: Gomon

When: April