The Art of Singing at Night: The Dogon Baja Ni Performance

It was June 7, 2005, the sun had set behind the cliff and the night descended on the Dogon village of Tireli. From a rock that dominates his ward, Monuire started one of the core baja ni songs, without chorus and without public. Accompanying himself on the drum, he sang just the first part of the song, and then stopped and went home, confident in the knowledge that his colleague singer Baire had done the same in the other ward. Indeed, many heard them sing, and the whole village soon knew that there would be a baja ni the next night. The funeral to which this performance belonged had been feasted a few months ago; however, for a renowned singer like the deceased Atonyon Saye, a postponed baja ni session, called a baja lugo (counted baja) was in order. 

Read the full article in African Arts (subscribers' access), 2025; 58 (3): 60–79. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/AFAR.a.28. African Arts is published by MIT Press Direct.