Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah—Mobility & Technology

Mobilizing Masquerades: Sierra Leone

Masquerades are mobile in performance and require coordinated gestures, dance steps, and above all: music. Beyond its kinetic mobility, masquerades are also geographically mobile, and cities have become major sites for the invention of contemporary urban masquerade genres, eventually exporting them to communities globally as they grow in popularity and individuals travel or move abroad.

Such is the case with Ordehlay and Jollay “devils,” as masquerades are called, like those created by Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah. Ordehlay was invented by young migrants experiencing socio-economic difficulties common to urban life, who joined masquerade societies for the financial support and raucous nightlife they offered. The Fairy genre of the Jollay Society was imported from Ghana as a way to celebrate peace and to similarly bring people together for common goals.

Today, masquerade mobility is accelerated through new media technology and messaging applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube. International branches and cultural performances in the diaspora have flourished, as members and artist-kotus utilize platforms to purchase, track, sell, and inspire masquerades, making them not only social applications, but business tools. As devils cross borders, their aesthetics shift to reflect new creative ideas and local concerns.