From April 11-13, 2024, ASOR proudly hosted a three-day symposium, Cultural Heritage Initiatives in Africa Today, that highlighted the work of local heritage professionals, academics, and civil society organizations to protect, preserve, and promote cultural heritage in North Africa and the Sahel.
Below you will find the recordings for the third day of that symposium about cultural heritage in the Sahel.
Rahina Balarabé, born in Niamey, Niger, Ms. Balarabé fell in love with storytelling at a very young age. In 2007, she made her stroytelling debut and by 2008 had founded her theater company. She currently leads the artistic and cultural organization, Oralité plus.
Issouf Balima works with IKAM Burkina Sarl, a non-profit specializing in training in cultural entrepreneurship (Maaya), management, and cultural administration. IKAM serves as a resource center for the cultural and creative industries in Burkina Faso.
Maki Garba holds a Professional Master’s degree in Cultural Heritage Management from Senghor University of Alexandria, Egypt. He is president and founder of the Culture, Art and Humanity Association (CAH). Garba works for cultural heritage on associative and public lands in Niger. Garba coordinates several projects in the fields of culture, development and social cohesion in Niger through the Cultural Diversity Portal: https://niger.spla.pro
Pierre Guindo was born in Nombori (Bandiagara) in Mali. He holds a Master’s degree in History-Geography from the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Bamako-Mali obtained in 1999, and a Diploma of Advanced Professional Studies (equivalent to a Master II) in Cultural Heritage Management from the Senghor University of Alexandria in Egypt obtained in 2005.
Professional therefore in the field of cultural heritage, after two years of service in the world of NGOs, he has worked and continues to work for the preservation and promotion of cultural values at the level of the Cultural Mission of Bandiagara where he is manager, holding the position of head of department since 2013.
Aboutou Konate is a graduate with a Masters in Culture and Development from the University of Social Sciences and Management, Bamako, Mali. Currently, Mr. Konate serves as an archaeologist and instructor for the Faculty of History and Geography at the University of Social Sciences and Management, as well as an ASOR Local Coordinator Consultant in Mali as part of the Cultural Heritage Initiatives in the Sahel.
Jean-Paul KOUDOUGOU. Trained as a historian, multimedia communicator and cultural heritage management consultant, he has benefited from a series of high-level training courses in cultural heritage management. He has held several senior positions in the field of museum management and has a good knowledge of African museum policies. He is the President of the ICOM Africa Regional Alliance (ICOM-Africa) and Consultant for ASOR.
Kientega Pingdewindé Gérard (aka KPG) anchors his profession as a blacksmith from Burkina Faso based on ancestral knowledge transmitted by his father. He also trained in theatrical art in Ouagadougou and established himself as a renowned storyteller, which led him to win the Silver Medal at the 2009 XVI Francophonie Games in Beirut. Transmission of intangible cultural heritage is at the heart of his vision; for this, he created in 2008 the Koombi Cultural Center in Arbollé, his native village, to train young people in the practices of storytelling, dance, and music.
Kadiatou Sow is originally from western Mali, more precisely from the Nioro region in the Sahel region. She is president of the Association of Students and Supporters for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (AESPAT). Kadiatou is passionate about culture, reading, travel and discoveries.
Boureima Teme was born in Yendouma Sogol, Dogon Country. He obtained his master’s degree in History and Archaeology in 2011 after defending his dissertation on the theme of sigui and its teachings in the area of Tôôrô. He has been working with the NGO Association Dogon Initiatives (ADI) since March 2016 in the culture section as a program manager.
