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SERRA Antoine
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Sabar, Bamako's forbidden dance |
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Oumou, a professional dancer in Bamako, carries out her profession clandestinely and for a good reason: she dances sabar, a Senegalese dance forbidden in Mali since March 2001. This provocative dance consists of torrid hip-swivelling movements miming the sexual act. The government banned it after an alleged public "coupling."
In a country where the Muslim population counts for 90%, the ban may appeal to purists but sabar is still the rage with young people in the underground open-air clubs. Oumou, one of the queen of sabar, earns about 40,000 CFA francs, the equivalent of a monthly salary of a low-ranking civil servant in Mali.
Overtaken by the popularity of sabar, the public authorities have decided to promote the balani, a less provocative traditional Malian dance also based on seduction. The balani has re-captured the streets in day time, but the real action begins at nightfall when sabar takes on the night.
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| Features Ref. |
| Place: Bamako, Mali |
| Date: 01/01/2004 |
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