ABSTRACT
The Yoruba influence on the Alikali masquerades is evidenced in part in the costuming, songs, and musical instruments. An explanation of the Yoruba influences on the children's devils must begin with the Egungun, the Yoruba ancestral and entertainment masquerade and society, which is known in Sierra Leone as Ogugu, or in Bo by the word for a local chapter of the society, Oje. The Alikali devils do not give rebirth to the ancestors, but they do incarnate the destiny of their creators as the children of contemporary black Africa. Each devil performance is an aesthetic whole. A performance includes two or three dances by the devil, accompanied by a group of child musicians playing a variety of handcrafted instruments and a chorus singing songs drawn from the masking group's repertoire. These performances are sponsored by urban associations that are multiethnic and segregated by sex but not by religion or social status.
