As part of a longstanding series of programs entitled Villa – Art – World dedicated to presenting the culture of different non-european countries Villa Decius Association would like to present chosen elements of Mali Republic’s culture. During the next meeting in Villa Decius called “Mali. There, where the stars sing”, which is due to take place on 10th May 2009, we are going to introduce the history and cultural diversity of Mali Republic.
In the program there are lectures planned from different fields: proffesor Michał Tymowski is going to present the history of Mali Republic, Adam Rybiński PhD is going to acquaint us with culture, economics and modern transformations among the Tuaregs, Jacek Łapott PhD and Lucjan Buchalik PhD are going to introduce culture and architecture of the Dogon. The program is going to be completed with Jacek Kukuczka’s talk regarding Mali’s contemporary photography, Sama Ifrah Ndiaje’s talk about Sahara and Ewa Prądzyńska’s talk about “marionettes Bamana”. In the program we couldn’t possibly miss a performance given by “Tamtamitutu” music dance group. Moreover, we are planning photography exhibitions and an ehxibition dedicated to the showpieces connected with the speakers’ speeches – we are going to show Tuareg saddles, tribe Bambara’s puppets and sculptures.
The Centre of Culture and Art of Arfica and Teranga Gallery are going to present their collection of items from Mali. There are going to be everyday objects, jewellery, instruments and weapons to admire. There are going to be souvenirs available for sale – jewellery and many others, pleasant to the eye! Admission free.
THE PROGRAM
- 12:30 – Contemporary Mali as an inheritant of the wonderful past – proffesor Michał Tymowski
- 13:10 – Nomadic and pastoralist people in Sahara – Adam Rybiński PhD
- 13:40 – Opening the exhibition
- 14:00 – Tuareg’s economy functioning + film – Adam Rybiński PhD
- 15:20 – Contemporary transpormations among the Tuareg tribe + film – Adam Rybiński PhD
- 15:50 – Poetry and music (talk, film, poetry reading) – Adam Rybiński PhD
- 16:20 – The colours of Sahara. From stone to sand – Samba Ifrah Ndiaye
- 17:00 – The Dogon of Mali – traditional culture facing the tourist invasion – Jacek Łapott PhD
- 17:40 – Mali’s architecture – Lucjan Buchalik PhD
- 18:20 – “Marionnettes Bamana (Bambara) – heroes of the thanksgiving spectacles sogo bo” – Ewa Prądzyńska
- 19:00 Saydou Keita i Malicka Sidibe – Mali’s contemporary photography – Jacek Kukuczka
- 19:30 – TAMTAMITUTU project dance show
Speakers
Adam Rybiński PhD: co-author of the “Mali. There, where the stars sing” program. Ethnologist from the Institute of Regional and Global Studies of Geography and Regional Studies Faculty on the University of Warsaw. For over 30 years he has been conducting research concerning pastoral tribes living in North and West Africa. The author of “The Tuaregs from Sahara” book and numerous articles printed in renowned scietific magazines. From 2003 to 2008 with the closest members of family and Tuareg friends and associates he traversed the terrains inhabited by Tuaregs living in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Based on the expedition’s documentation his son, Władysław Rybiński, has shot two documentary movies.
Professor Michał Tymowski: He has been working in the History Institute of the University of Warsaw since 1964, in 2001 he was entitled full professor. He worked also on UMCS in Lublin and Sorbona in Paris. Among others, he led an academic expedition Sahara ’74, he was a member of the Science Board of the Non-European Countries Institute and vice-president of the Polish African Society. Professor Tymowski published a dozen or so books, including: The History of Mali (1979), The History of Timbuct (1979), Rifle and power in Africa in the 19th century (1985) and The countries of the pre-colonial Africa.
Władysław Rybiński: the UW history of art’s graduate; during his common travels with his father, Adam Rybiński, he shot two documentary movies: “A thing about the Tuaregs” and “Film postcards from Niger” presented on the Internet at afryka.org.
Jacek Łapott is a specialist in African studies. For the vast majority of his life he was orking in the National Museum in Szczecin, leading the Non-European Cultures Department for several years. Thanks to him this museum’s collection is one of the biggest in Poland. He went to Africa between ten and twenty times, visiting numerous ethnic groups in almost all countries to the north of the equator. In 2008 he was awarded with a postdoctoral grant connected with the next scientific project in Africa “The Dogon of Mali (West Africa) – a traditional society in the terms of globalisation”.
Lucjan Buchalik PhD is a traveller, the University of Wrocław ethnology graduate and the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań postgraduate. He made from scratch a collection of African items in Żory. He went to Africa for the first time when he was a student, in 1985 and has been there many times since then. The author of “The colourful Sahel” book, published in 2000.
Jacek Kukuczka is the Jagiellonian University in Cracow ethnology graduale and a custodian in the Non-European Cultures Department of the Ethnographic Seweryn Udziela Museum in Cracow. He took part in numerous expeditions to Africa, including the research expedition West Africa ’96. On a daily basis he is into cultural transformations and the role of photography in ethnographic narration and museum exhibitions. The author of a number of expositions concerning Africa.
Ewa Prądzyńska – employee of the Non-European Departament of the National Museum in Szczecin. Since 2006 she has carried out research regarding the theatre of puppets in Mali’s Bamana tribe. She is now working on her post-doctoral thesis entitled “Marionnettes of Bamana tribe and their place in the contemporary culture of Mali”.
Samba Ifrah Ndiaye – comes from Senegalu, he iniciated the foundation of the African Culture and Art Centre in Cracow. Out of his education, he is a biologist, but out of his passion he is a pedagogue and Children Rights defender. He is the originator of the innovative educational program realised by the African Culture and Art Centre.
TAMTAMITUTU is a mix of music filled with african rythms and complemented by the dancers’ choreography. The dancers are a ‘living canvas’ – their bodies painted form a unique composition of hue and contour. These exquisite visions are an expressive, extravertic mix of colour, light, fire and rhythm. This complication carries you to exotic, remote lands, and it takes a long time to come back. TAMTAMITUTU project’s author,
Marcin Urzędowski is an admirerer of primeval cultures, especially of the Mande people from West Africa. For seven years he has been spreading the unknown aspects of the percussion African music, but not only does he use Djembe, the most popular carrier of this culture, but also he uses Afro-Cuban, Brasilian and home-made instruments. He is now recording, giving concerts in Poland and abroad, conducting workshops and individual lessons. In his work he tries to mix music therapy, theatre and various visual acts. He cooperates with different charity organisations working for the sake of human rights defense in Africa.
Lectures:
Contemporary Mali as an inheritant of the wonderful past – proffesor Michał Tymowski
The lecture is going to concentrate on the history of people living in the Pepublic of Mali and the role of the past in today’s political, social and cultural life. The diversity of aspects shown throughout history is going to be illustrated with maps, photos of cities, architecture and artpieces.
The series of lectures regarding the Tuareg tribe – Adam Rybiński PhD
The Tuareg are a nomadic pastoralist people. They are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. They call themselves variously Kel Tamasheq or Kel Tamajaq (“Speakers of Tamasheq”), Imuhagh, Imazaghan or Imashaghen (“the Free people”), or Kel Tagelmust, “People of the Veil”, “People, who cover their faces”) The name Tuareg was applied to them by early explorers and historians.
The origin and meaning of the name Twareg has long been debated, it would appear, however, that Twar?g is derived from “inhabitant of Targa”. The Tuareg today are found mostly in West Africa. They were once nomads throughout the Sahara. They have a little-used but ancient script known as the tifinagh. The Sahara Tuaregs breed camels and goats, whereas the Sahel Tuaregs breed goats and sheep. Due to natural disasters many Tuaregs settled in cities. The lectures are going to be complemented with Władysław Rybiński’s movies. The lecturer is going to share some private photos and items concerning the life of the “blue people”.
The Dogon of Mali – traditional culture facing the tourist invasion – Jacek Łapott PhD
The Dogon are a group of people living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. The Dogon are best known for their mythology, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and their architecture. They believe there is an uncountable number of stars (tolo) and worlds (earths) moving spirally, inhabitet by living creatures, created by the only god – Amma. They compare the movement of celestial objects to the blood flow.
Mali’s architecture – Lucjan Buchalik PhD
There are going to be problems connected with village Dogon planning presented, as well as pictures of basic architectoral elements shown. Moreover, techniques and construction materials used by the Dogons are going to be introduces.
Marionnettes Bamana (Bambara) – heroes of the thanksgiving spectacles sogo bo – Ewa Prądzyńska
Marionnettes Bamana (almost 3 million people from Mande group) are objects of various forms and sizes made from different materiale, such as wood, straw, grass or tissue. They represent mistical creatures and figurek typical for Bamana society. They are responsible for organising sogo celebrations, connected with the agricultural cycle. In Markala two times a year Festival des Masques et Marionnettes (FESMAMA) takes place, and since 2005 in Segou, etery February there is Festival sur le fleuve Niger, where marionettes performances are one of key planks..
Saydou Keita i Malick Sidibe – Mali’s contemporary photography – Jacek Kukuczka
Seydu Keita and Malick Sidibe, two Maliyan people, have changed the way the see photoghraphy, previously viewed only as a tool to be used by white people for their own sake. Keita and Sadibe take photos of the white people, their neighbours and cohabitants. It enables us to see how ‘they’ see ‘us’, what our culture means to the, and it shows that not only are we the ones who watch, but we are being watched as well. The people we see in Keita and Sidibe’s photos are anonymous, both dynamic and static. There photos present both the time flow and the dreams, aspirations and expectations of Bamako inhabitants in the 20th century.