Yoann Cormier curates 'In Mali, When Animals Dance' at the Musée des Confluences, an exhibition dedicated to sogo bò, a Malian performance tradition blending theater, dance, music, and community. Rejecting static displays, Cormier uses immersive scenography—light, sound, film footage from the early 2000s by Sonia and Albert Loeb, and reconstructed masks made with the Lyon Opera costume workshop—to evoke the festive atmosphere of sogo bò, moving visitors through a simulated Malian day from afternoon to night.
The exhibition matters because it tackles the challenge of presenting a living, evolving cultural practice in a museum without freezing it in time. By prioritizing sensory experience over traditional narrative, it respects the mystery and ongoing transformation of sogo bò, while also addressing sensitive issues of secrecy and public access. This approach offers a model for curating intangible heritage in ways that honor its community roots and dynamic nature.