Dan Ge Performance: Masks and Music in Contemporary Cote d'lvoire.

Dan Ge Performance Masks and Music in Contemporary Cote d'lvoire Daniel B. Reed Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 2003. 214 pp., 18 b/w photos, map, glossary, notes, references, index. $59.95 hardcover, $24.95 softcover.

What's a masquerade without the mask? Or, how can one study a masquerade without discussing the physical mask, the apparent centerpiece of any masquerade? This exemplary study answers much of that question as it details all that is "behind the mask" as well as what is in front and all around the Ge mask of the Dan peoples of western Cote d'Ivoire. In fact, through the course of this book, one comes to agree with the author that no single element, certainly not the mask nor even the music and dance, identifies Ge alone. It is a far more complex phenomenon, as Daniel B. Reed, currently director of the Archives of Traditional Music and assistant professor of folklore and ethnomusicology at Indiana University, discovered during his field research between 1993 and 1997 based in Man, Cote d'Ivoire.

The introduction, "Talking About Ge," presents a range of descriptions attempting to define Ge: "a dancing and musical embodiment of Dan social ideals" and "the spiritual base of the experiential education taught during initiation" (p. 1), "Ge performance is a pathway of communication through which my consultants relate to their world and get things done" (p. 3), and "Ge performance does not represent; it is" (p. 4). As these phrases indicate, Reed immediately attempts to characterize the complexities and multiple nuances of Ge performance. He also introduces us to his collaborators (for they are far more than merely "informants"): "I wanted to know what they wanted me to know" (p. 3). This tone of involvement and reflexivity is found throughout the book. It is an especially critical dimension because Ge is such a vital, continually evolving, yet conservative phenomenon; it is the epitome of the ever-contemporary yet deeply rooted tradition. In some ways, Reed's whole book is an attempt to articulate that wonderful vitality of tradition, the continuity of creativity, the immediacy of the past, the cosmopolitan nature of the local.

The first chapter, "On the Road to Man," describes Reed's first encounter with Ge, which took place in the city rather than the stereotyped rural setting. This unexpected shift in context alerts him to the need to understand the broader realms of Ge "manifestations." Because the functions of Ge are so diverse and the elements of performance so complex, we begin to realize why "mask" is no longer a sufficient term. "Coexistence, Cooperation, and Conflict in the City of Eighteen Mountains," the second chapter, provides historical and cultural background for the city of Man, the Dan peoples, and Ge performances. Here emphasis is placed on the mobility of people across space and time, the fluidity of ethnic identifications, and the variations of cultural traditions.

The third chapter addresses the creative dynamics of Ge performance. This is signaled with the proverb: "When a rooster goes for a walk, he does not forget his house," i.e., while a person may experiment with different drumming or singing styles, one must always return to one's own signature sound or move. Ge performance draws from virtually all possible sources--acoustic and visual, past and present, local and foreign but will always return to the recognized elements of each Ge type and group. We learn, as did Reed, that "tradition" really means the artful incorporation of old and new, familiar and strange, all coming together in exciting, dynamic performances.

"What is Ge?" is the longest chapter and carefully sets out the fundamental dimensions of Ge, especially its spiritual elements. Reed discusses the basic differences of the two Ge types, Gedro (used primarily for rejoicing) and Gegbade (used primarily for revealing and combatting evil). Extensive quotations from elders, ritual specialists, and drummers provide subtle, sensitive, emic analyses which fully reveal how thoroughly the Dan reflect on their own customs.

Chapters on "Manifesting Ge in Song" and "Drums as Instruments of Social and Religious Action" are the ethnomusicological heart of the work. Texts and contexts are carefully reviewed. Performances / manifestations and esthetic criteria are vividly described and analyzed. Again, while individual creativity is always acknowledged, good and effective performances are those in which all work together, for it is only then that the spiritual elements can be manifested properly. For even a sympathetic reader, some of the the musicological analyses of the latter chapter were a bit difficult to follow, but no one would claim polyrhythmic West African drumming could ever be easily explained. What is clear is the drummer's essential role of mediator between spirit and mask, between this and that world.

Chapters 7 and 8 are accounts of two specific Ge performances--"Gedro at Gueheva" and "Gegbade at Yokoboue"--in which Reed has self-consciously combined original field notes with later revisions and observations. While this device does serve to distinguish the immediate from the reflective responses to artistic and spiritual events, I was struck at how much more coherent Reed's field notes were than mine ever are. The content perhaps more than the technique of these chapters is the key contribution. "Gedro at Gueheva" provides a wonderful account of politicians attempting to control masquerades at the First Annual Gueheva Festival of Masks and Traditional Dance, which occurred in Man's main stadium on March 28-29, 1997. "Gegbade at Yokoboue" is a solid ethnographic record in which Reed's colleagues (Oulai Theodore, a religious specialist, and Goueu Tia Jean-Claude, a master drummer), working with Gegbade, resolve a serious case of sorcery in a distant non-Dan community.

The last chapter, "Pathways of Communication and Transformation," reviews the dimensions of Ge performances by enumerating the ways in which transformations take place. Aptly, this sensitive study of artistic and spiritual enterprise ends: "In the human and extrahuman interactions in sound at the center of the process of Ge performance, people get things done" (p. 175). And thus, this very thoughtful and engaged study concludes by placing art at the core of cultural enactments, not merely decorating social and religious interactions but articulating them.

The volume also includes extensive footnotes, a glossary, and a detailed index. While one might wish for more literal physical description of Ge performances, one gains much in revised perspectives on how to more fully comprehend and appreciate "masquerades." Readers are also directed to a website (http: //iu press.indiana.edu/reed/) where they may hear and see more Ge manifestations. Research with carvers and others involved in the visual dimensions of Ge performance would have added to this rich work. But I may be creating an Oliver Twist review---one which always wants more! This is an excellent, highly rewarding work at many levels. Although Reed offers the following as a dedication for his work, I think it is an appropriate reminder with which to end this review: "Dedicated to the revival of the spirit of peace, unity, and tolerance in Cote d'Ivoire." For those of us who have marvelled at the varied and vibrant artistic traditions of all Ivorian peoples and enjoyed their hospitality, we share Reed's dismay at the current situation.