By Souleymane Sana | Director
Dear Kono Gnaga friends and family,
As previously reported, we had a very successful 6th annual festival in Bamako at the beginning of the year that featured all of our 6 partner schools. Classes took place in the schools for three months with the annual community festival happening early in 2024. Over 80% of the participants in our program were girls, without us having to carry out any targeted awareness-raising. Few other similar activity attracts so many girls. Our programs offer girls activities that contribute to their empowerment and personal development. Our programs also enhance artists' professionalism and teaching skills, as well as their earning potential, by providing them with an income. It is essential that this work includes women and helps to promote gender equality in the professional artistic arena and we were excited to have a woman teacher join our team this year. We are excited with our progress and plan to bring in more women as we move forward!
Following the festival, we launched our pilot program expanding out of Bamako and into the Segou region of Mali. Through a partnership with the Mieruba Art Center in Segou https://www.mieruba.com/en/center, local artists in the region worked with students at the Lycee Abdoul Karim Camara dit Cabral of Segou school teaching them traditional dance. Classes were held over the course of a few months with the students. It was a very successful program with the students excited to learn the traditional dances of Mali.
We are busy planning for the 2024-2025 school year while the schools are on their seasonal break. This year we will continue with our partner schools in Bamako and grow our program in Segou including holding a second community festival in the region!
Please be sure to check out the link to this year's video featuring 2024 festival highlights! Dou Ba Festival.
As always thank you so much for your vital and continued support and being a valued member of the Kono Gnaga family! Without your support we could not continue with this work.
Peace and Blessings,
Solo Sana, Director
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