Artist: Don Sen Folo Association
Location: Bancoumana, Mali
Year: 2020
Researcher: Agnès Quillet
Located in the rural commune of Bancoumana, not far from the Niger River in the region of Koulikoro, Don Sen Folo - LAB is a place dedicated to Art on two hectares composed, for the time being, of traditional dwelling huts, a restaurant, sanitary facilities, a library, a sound studio, and a working stage.
The objective :
We want to offer Malian and international artists a space for work and professionalization and the population a space for discovery and training.
The cultural offer is almost inexistent in villages like Bancoumana. Young people are disconnected from traditional culture and do not recognize themselves in it, they have no model or inspiration close to them and identify only with what they can see on social networks.
Don Sen Folo - LAB exists because we believe that it is essential that Mali has places of creation, training and dissemination of culture. For us, this art must be accessible and decentralized.
The Don Sen Folo - LAB is a privileged space where we want Man to reappropriate his history and his territory in order to let his imagination grow.
We are proud of what we have been, what we are and what we will become.
With the construction of this place we defend a new global approach where Art is a whole.
Our houses are traditional earthen constructions of our ancestors, they inspire us and are virtuous, they are an art, transmitted and updated. Each hut has a name, each hut has a story, to remind us of those who made us grow up such as "Germaine Acogny" the Mother or "CDC la termitière", emblematic place of the Burkinabe formation, as well as those who make the country grow up such as "Blonba", there is also Les Inachevés, le Grin, Kariam Togola, Nama, Centre Culturel kôré.
Don Sen Folo - LAB, is a dream of long ago says Lassina Kone (artistic director of DOn Sen Folo), which was born thanks to all those who brought their stone (financial aid, material aid, volunteer work, ...)
"Participative spirit, you will build this place durably. Creative spirit, you will use and develop this place. Spirit in the making, this place will be your home and you will warm it with your presence.
This building project is meant to be humane, sustainable and collaborative. "
This place is a promise, a dream under construction.
The Don Sen Folo - LAB is a unique place in Mali. To date, there is no art research laboratory of this magnitude in Mali. It has the merit of existing in a country where contemporary art is not politically considered.
