Mali: Songhay culture rises from the ashes with the Festival of Songhay Cultural Communities
Mali aims to revive the Songhay culture from years of dormancy due to terrorism, and this is the ambition of the Association of Songhay Culture Communities in Motion – Ir Ganda, led by former Prime Minister of Mali, Ousmane Issoufi Maïga. To achieve this, the association is organizing the first edition of the Songhay Culture Communities Festival on February 15, 16, and 17, 2024, on the banks of the Niger River near the Palais de la Culture.
Under the high patronage of the Malian President, Colonel Assimi Goïta, the event aspires to be a cultural melting pot and a significant cultural gathering promoting unity, peace, dialogue, national reconciliation, and social cohesion through Songhay culinary arts, performances by traditional and modern musical groups with a focus on the takamba folklore, and more.
Beyond the cultural aspect, the Songhay Culture Communities Festival serves as an international platform for exchanges and reflections on ethnographic, anthropological, linguistic, and sociological aspects, particularly concerning diverse populations in the Sahel region.
«Ir Ganda has a vision. A vision that goes beyond what people might think. Before the creation of the AES, Ir Ganda believed that the culture of these three peoples (Mali, Burkina, and Niger) should come together for peace», stated the organizer.
The first edition of the Songhay Culture Communities Festival revolves around the theme, «Communion and Resilience for Mali».
Titi KEITA
