Odienne - Meeting the Dozo Hunters

After a disturbed sleep interrupted by a number of unpleasant dreams, I wake up feeling a little groggy. Thankfully we have a free morning today, so I can catch up on some rest later.

Breakfast

There is omelette and bread this morning, no butter, but a couple of triangles of Laughing Cow ‘cheese’.

The cold beverage this morning, is a cloudy ginger juice, so strong it feels like it is stripping the lining of my throat, which is saying something as I love cooking with fresh ginger.

With our local facilitator, Lamin, joining us these last couple of days, resulting in Mathias siting on the jump seat in the very back of the car (the boot, (or trunk if you are American) in effect), has meant that we’ve been squeezing my stick in on top of the water bottles. As I walk across the courtyard to the restaurant this morning, I notice that the stick has taken a little battering, and looks as bent and old as I feel.

It’s still perfectly usable, and David assures me that he can make it straight again when we get home.

We return to the room to chill for the rest of the morning. It would have been nice to have gone for a swim, but alas, the pool is a little on the dry side.

Half an hour goes by and there is a knock on the door: “Order lunch?” The waitress has brought the menu, so we choose the food for later. Pre-ordering your meals seems to be the norm in restaurants here – I guess with not many guests, they haven’t got any stuff already prepped liked most restaurants do, so everything has to be made completely from scratch. That would also explain why so many of the dishes on the menu are “off”.

Lunch

We take a nap and a shower, and sit around chatting until it is time for lunch.

We sit in the shade outside to eat, it is cooler than in the restaurant

My Riz Cantonnaise is fairly plain, slightly greasy, and has bits of vegetables and meat (possibly beef?)

David's Ratatouille is basically just a pile of vegetables, and he tells me they are thankfully not overcooked or mushy

Odienne Market

Solo (our driver) attempts to drive through the narrow path in the market, where the vendors are generally very friendly, waving and smiling.

In amongst the basic necessities of life: numerous plastic buckets, second hand clothes, and colourful fabrics, are these two luxury (albeit dusty) children’s toy cars. I love the incongruity of it!

When I discover that this lady is breastfeeding, I respectfully stop taking photos. I needn’t have worried, she is delighted to be photographed.

The baby does not seem quite so keen, however.

While the market is obviously very crowded and the alley through it somewhat narrow, the hand carts and bicycles manage to move to the side to let us pass. All is going well until we meet a tuk tuk full of goods. There is not enough room for us both, so Solo does the respectful thing and reverses back the way we came. Not an easy task, for sure, but he is a real professional, of course.

The tuk-tuk, circled

Mathias explains how the government is planning on making a new covered market, something along the lines of the one we saw in Abidjan.

The Dozo

An eclectic mix of hunters, warriors, partisans, local security guards, dancers, musicians, and traditional healers, there around 200,000 Dozo in Ivory Coast. Odienne is the head quarters of the Dozo community in the country.

Lamin, our local facilitator Seen here in the white T-shirt), negotiates with some of the Dozo to arrange for us to meet with the tribe. The chief (with his red bike helmet still on) apologises for not being able to send as many dancers as he would have liked – their general secretary has recently died, so many of the Dozo have gone into the forest to hunt for animals to give to the family of the deceased, and some of them are still out there. The funeral is tomorrow.

The chief on the right

The Dozo Brotherhood has often filled gaps in state security by settling local disputes and protecting residents from banditry and theft, adopting the role of a quasi-militant group or militia. Armed with AK-47s, members have been implicated in road blocks, security checks, arbitrary arrests, and killings, and as a result their reputation has been somewhat tarnished, with the government encouraging them to demobilise and disarm and return to their traditional hunter roles. Denying these accusations, the Dozo are looking for reconciliations and recognition from the government, but still some populations remain suspicious of them. To become members of the Dozo fraternity, young apprentices have attend a long learning period with a Grand Master. Irreproachable moral conduct is required, which is at odds with the accusations they face. Their code is based on respect for ancestors, honour and obedience to the master.

Renowned for having mystical powers, they inspire fear and respect by their traditional ritual clothes adorned with amulets, and the impressive guns they often carry. We see no guns today (I guess they are all in the forest looking for animals), but their outfits and demeanour evoke images of how guerrillas are depicted in films. Traditionally the Dozo hunters’ costume is inherited and can never be washed, and that it makes them immune to enemy bullets. Dozo hunters are obliged to wear a sacred ochre or brown suit which allows them to blend in with the surroundings, which is made up of rocks, sands and semi-dry vegetation.

In the Nyamaso Forest, we meet with a few of the Dozo Hunters, to see a scaled-down version of the traditional Dance of the Blacksmiths.

Playing the kamale ngoni string instruments

Originally, around the 12th century, this harp instrument was known as the “donso/dozo ngoni”, literally the n’goni of the hunters. Unusually, it is played with the strings facing the body. 

The Dozo are also renowned griots: delivering stories and poems about the past through songs and music, playing a vital role in preserving oral traditions and cultural heritage. As well as being skilled storytellers, griots keep records of all the births, deaths and marriages through the generations of the village.

As I mentioned before, healing plays a large part in the lives of the Dozo. They use the plants we saw in the market earlier, and the stall holders will consult the much more knowledgeable Dozo about the uses of the various herbs, roots and edible vegetation.

Dozo hunters

Herbs and potions in the market

As part of the dance, the Dozo demonstrate their power and magic, first to show their resistance to fire. One of the dancers picks up some of the embers from the ground, and later spits them out in a series of spectacular fireworks.

Another performer picks up a smouldering log and proceeds to lick it with his tongue, creating a lot of smoke in the process.

The last ‘magic trick’ they show us, is how they can produce water out of seemingly nothing using his animal-tail fly swat.

David and Mathias are invited to accompany the Dozo to their sacred rock known as Dengele. The path up is rocky and uneven, and Mathis is impressed that David makes it to the top without even being out of breath!

The Dengele is a boulder balanced on top of another large stone at the edge of the rocky plateau

If any of the villagers have a problem, they will meet with the Dozo and explain their issues to them, before being taken to the rock. A chicken will be sacrificed, and the spirits consulted. During the ritual, which is accompanied by Dozo musicians, the spirits will offer advice on various solutions to the problem. Suggestions include buying rice to share with those in need, give money to the poor, or sacrifice a goat or even a cow and share the food with the rest of the community. For more complex problems, the spirit may suggest you go out in the middle of the night (maybe even naked) and place a broken pot in the middle of the road with eggs and herbs. It seems to me that this spirit has a sense of humour!

If the spirit’s suggestions have solved your problems, you must give gifts or money to the Dozo as a thank you. Mathias explains that certain Dozo communities have received some very impressive gifts, such as a car, and have become quite rich as a result.

David with the Dozo at Dengele Rock

After the delegation return from the rock, David delights the men by joining in with the musicians, playing up to the camera (and them).

The Dozo return first, still playing

Followed by Mathias and David

David playing the kamale ngoni

he also tries out the small instrument known as kagnan

Once the performance is over, it’s the obligatory group photos.

Dinner

We return to the hotel and chill in the room with a drink before going to dinner. Much to our amazement, there is another table with two people dining in the restaurant this evening. Again I just have a plate of fries, whereas David orders spaghetti Bolognaise.

Thank you Undiscovered Destinations and their local team for arranging this incredible adventure to Ivory Coast.