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Lord of the dance: An African retelling
The Mask of the Lord of the Dance tells the story of the Senufu people of Ivory Coast, many of whose traditions have disappeared with encroaching modern developments.
26 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1989
About the author
Véronique Tadjo
78 books62 followersVéronique Tadjo (born 1955) is a writer, poet, novelist, and artist from Côte d'Ivoire. Having lived and worked in many countries within the African continent and diaspora, she feels herself to be pan-African, in a way that is reflected in the subject matter, imagery and allusions of her work.
Born in Paris, Véronique Tadjo was the daughter of an Ivorian civil servant and a French painter and sculptor. Brought up in Abidjan, she travelled widely with her family.
Tadjo completed her BA degree at the University of Abidjan and her doctorate at the Sorbonne in African-American Literature and Civilization. In 1983, she went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., on a Fulbright research scholarship.
In 1979, Tadjo chose to teach English at the Lycée Moderne de Korhogo (secondary school) in the North of Côte d'Ivoire. She subsequently became a lecturer at the English department of the University of Abidjan until 1993.
In the past few years, she has facilitated workshops in writing and illustrating children's books in Mali, Benin, Chad, Haiti, Mauritius, French Guyana, Burundi, Rwanda and South Africa.
She has lived in Paris, Lagos, Mexico City, Nairobi and London. Tadjo is currently based in Johannesburg, where since 2007 she has been head of French Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Tadjo received the Literary Prize of L'Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique in 1983 and the UNICEF Prize in 1993 for Mamy Wata and the Monster, which was also chosen as one of Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century, one of only four children's books selected. In 2005, Tadjo won the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire.
(from Wikipedia)
Born in Paris, Véronique Tadjo was the daughter of an Ivorian civil servant and a French painter and sculptor. Brought up in Abidjan, she travelled widely with her family.
Tadjo completed her BA degree at the University of Abidjan and her doctorate at the Sorbonne in African-American Literature and Civilization. In 1983, she went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., on a Fulbright research scholarship.
In 1979, Tadjo chose to teach English at the Lycée Moderne de Korhogo (secondary school) in the North of Côte d'Ivoire. She subsequently became a lecturer at the English department of the University of Abidjan until 1993.
In the past few years, she has facilitated workshops in writing and illustrating children's books in Mali, Benin, Chad, Haiti, Mauritius, French Guyana, Burundi, Rwanda and South Africa.
She has lived in Paris, Lagos, Mexico City, Nairobi and London. Tadjo is currently based in Johannesburg, where since 2007 she has been head of French Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Tadjo received the Literary Prize of L'Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique in 1983 and the UNICEF Prize in 1993 for Mamy Wata and the Monster, which was also chosen as one of Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century, one of only four children's books selected. In 2005, Tadjo won the Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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April 28, 2024I enjoyed it, especially the artwork.
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October 14, 2015Title: Lord of the Dance: An African Retelling
Author: Veronique Tadjo
Illustrator:
Genre: Non- European Folktale, Poem
Themes: Culture of Senufu People
Opening line/sentence:
Once upon a time there was the Mask and he was living with the sky and the earth.
Brief Book Summary: The book starts off with an African mask whom danced with the moon, the stars and the sun. The mask danced together with other African men and women who sacred drums and rhythmic songs to celebrate and mourn. But over time the town turned into a city made of concrete and steal and many traditions weren’t passed down. The people were left feeling lonely however, they will always remember their culture traditions for as long as they live.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Publishers Weekly
Ceremonial masks are part of the tradition of the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and this is a poem telling the story of a certain mask. The chanting rhythm of the legend is accentuated every few lines by the drum beat "Tom-tom-tom-tom-tom." The chant grows stronger with the telling: the spirit of nature and of humankind must not be lost; man came to Earth with the animals and there must be harmony among them. It tells how cities sprung up from the forest and the mask was thrown away, a symbol of the past at odds with the concrete and steel industrialized world. Tadjo's illustrations mimic the designs from the traditional African clothing, but the rich colors are her own interpretation. If there is a melody to the song/poem, the reader is not made aware of it.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Professional Literature
The Mask of the Lord of the Dance tells the story of the Senufu people Ivory Coast, many of whose traditions have disappeared with encroaching modern developments. The Lord of the Dance becomes the Mask, the world is created and people live in peace dancing with the wooden icon of the Mark, then the modern world describes Mask a “a symbol of ignorance” but the Mask persists. Tadjo comes close to pulling this task off but finally slides into a didactic style rather than trusting the story.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with review number two that Tadjo does a great job mimicking the traditional African clothing and style through out the story. It gives the readers a great feel for the African culture. In review number two they say the story turns into a didactic style rather than a story. I am confused by this, even though the story taught a moral, it is still a trusting story.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I loved the illustrations in this book! It has bright colors and the pictures did a great job reminding me of the African culture. The style of the book is written in more of a poem/ song way and could be sung or acted out by the children. In the back of the book there is a page that tells kids more about the African masks and what they are used for. It also gives the kids a map to show where the story took place- this is a great visual! The tone of the book starts out happy, and then gets depressing and then goes have to being slightly happy as they will always cherish their traditions. The main conflict of this book is that African traditions are no longer practiced.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book is great for preschool through second grade students. Preschoolers can use instruments to make their own music and dance, like the people in Africa. For the bit older students, they could even create their own instruments out of materials. Students can learn all about the African culture and how cultures change over time. Students could also decorate their own African masks to wear!
Author: Veronique Tadjo
Illustrator:
Genre: Non- European Folktale, Poem
Themes: Culture of Senufu People
Opening line/sentence:
Once upon a time there was the Mask and he was living with the sky and the earth.
Brief Book Summary: The book starts off with an African mask whom danced with the moon, the stars and the sun. The mask danced together with other African men and women who sacred drums and rhythmic songs to celebrate and mourn. But over time the town turned into a city made of concrete and steal and many traditions weren’t passed down. The people were left feeling lonely however, they will always remember their culture traditions for as long as they live.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Publishers Weekly
Ceremonial masks are part of the tradition of the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, and this is a poem telling the story of a certain mask. The chanting rhythm of the legend is accentuated every few lines by the drum beat "Tom-tom-tom-tom-tom." The chant grows stronger with the telling: the spirit of nature and of humankind must not be lost; man came to Earth with the animals and there must be harmony among them. It tells how cities sprung up from the forest and the mask was thrown away, a symbol of the past at odds with the concrete and steel industrialized world. Tadjo's illustrations mimic the designs from the traditional African clothing, but the rich colors are her own interpretation. If there is a melody to the song/poem, the reader is not made aware of it.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Professional Literature
The Mask of the Lord of the Dance tells the story of the Senufu people Ivory Coast, many of whose traditions have disappeared with encroaching modern developments. The Lord of the Dance becomes the Mask, the world is created and people live in peace dancing with the wooden icon of the Mark, then the modern world describes Mask a “a symbol of ignorance” but the Mask persists. Tadjo comes close to pulling this task off but finally slides into a didactic style rather than trusting the story.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with review number two that Tadjo does a great job mimicking the traditional African clothing and style through out the story. It gives the readers a great feel for the African culture. In review number two they say the story turns into a didactic style rather than a story. I am confused by this, even though the story taught a moral, it is still a trusting story.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I loved the illustrations in this book! It has bright colors and the pictures did a great job reminding me of the African culture. The style of the book is written in more of a poem/ song way and could be sung or acted out by the children. In the back of the book there is a page that tells kids more about the African masks and what they are used for. It also gives the kids a map to show where the story took place- this is a great visual! The tone of the book starts out happy, and then gets depressing and then goes have to being slightly happy as they will always cherish their traditions. The main conflict of this book is that African traditions are no longer practiced.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book is great for preschool through second grade students. Preschoolers can use instruments to make their own music and dance, like the people in Africa. For the bit older students, they could even create their own instruments out of materials. Students can learn all about the African culture and how cultures change over time. Students could also decorate their own African masks to wear!
December 9, 2011
Complete waste of paper. Just because a story is old or traditional doesn't make it a good one. And this was supposedly a "retelling" but it sounded more like a transliteration. First of all, that's the exact opposite of retelling, and second, why retell a story if you're not going to be creative about it. The whole point is to tell it in a new light. Text had no flow, no cadence and no discernable plot. Boring for an adult let alone a child. Although the illustrations are traditional they are hideous and kind of creepy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews