Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the commodification process of Dogon culture through the recycling of ‘traditional’ cultural elements, as a means to develop local rural economy through tourism.

Paper long abstract:

As classified in 1989 by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site, the Dogon region and more particularly the Bandiagara escarpment stands as a highly 'touristified' place (Lane 1988, Doquet 1999, Ciarcia 1998, Cisse 2003). Its appeal rests on the elaboration of an 'authentic' cultural landscape that is nurtured both locally and worldwide through notably a mass tourism, anthropology, NGOs and the Malian government's Cultural Mission. Dogon villagers as entrepreneurs increasingly venture into business activities through notably performances such as masquerades (Doquet 1999, Richards 2000) and the production of craft. Both strongly contribute to the re-creation and consolidation of Dogon material authenticity and identities. In this paper, I propose to examine the emancipation of a local market based on the 're-cycling' of traditional and folkloric elements that are no longer used by the villagers and that leads to the development of a local economy that does not compromise people's cultural, intellectual and spiritual property. This is explored here through on the one hand, the production of craft (textile, wood carving and smithing) by the dyers and blacksmiths and on the other hand, the performance or 'self display' of spiritual figures in a village of the escarpment. I shall focus on the production, emulation, faking, display and selling of Dogon culture by Dogon people through strategies of adapting and transforming local material culture in order to suit the expectations of the tourists and by concealing Dogon's cultural values.