From the Kanaga Hotel, Mopti
‘La Caravane Culturelle pour la Paix ‘ is an initiative to continue, at least in some way, the famous ‘Festival
du Desert’ which took place in the
desert just north of Timbuktu in happier times. Last night this ambulating
festival which just played at the Festival sur le Niger in Segou and also in the towns of San and Koutiala reached Mopti and gave a splendid concert on the shore of the Niger in
front of the Kanaga Hotel.
I had been invited by a group of Americans who stayed
at hotel Djenné Djenno a couple of days ago: they were the ‘Timbuktu Renaissance
Project’, led by the dynamic Cynthia Schneider, above, art historian and former US ambassador
to the Netherlands whom I met at the library conference in Bamako. Her vision
is that culture can be used as a form of
diplomacy and that it should be used to build bridges and to reconcile. Therefore the Timbuktu
Renaissance Project does not only sponsor this
roving music festival, but also the saving of the Timbuktu manuscripts
for which they have found sponsorship through Google.
I couldn’t help being a little
sniffy about the fact that once more Timbuktu is placed centre stage to the
exclusion of everything else, and once more money is directed only towards
Timbuktu’s manuscripts… also that the caravan passes straight by Djenné of course. Nevertheless, I have done my best to try and persuade them to come to Djenné next year. Chris,
right above, explained what I already know: Timbuktu is a sort of worldwide
concept, a brand in fact, which is
easily sold. I suppose that it would be much more difficult to sell the concept
of saving the manuscripts of Djenné to Google… Anyway, I decided that what they
are doing is of course a very good thing and stopped sulking which allowed me to
enjoy a great trip on the river and later the concert, which
included a lot of great Tuareg music and above all the fabulous, joyous and very
eccentric Bobo Band BANZOBO, complete with balafon and Mohican outfits (I tip them for imminent world wide stardom) and a wild,
wild dance beat which sent one festival reveller into a sort of possession trance and she had to be carried off stage… All in
all a great little interlude in Mopti.
posted by toubab at 9:37 AM
5 Comments:
Yes, that's a shame about Timbuktu - worth seeing, but not worth going to see (actually not true, since the going and the getting-away are actually the most interesting aspects of the experience).
'Her vision is that culture can be used as a form of diplomacy and that it should be used to build bridges and reconcile'. Isn't that what our beloved Jeremiah is up to? In less dire circumstances, of course.
Indeed David: cultural diplomacy is of course exactly what our Jeremiah is up to. And goood luck to both him and the Timbuktu Renaissance team- about which I will post a little post script soon...
You know, Sophie, it is because of you (through David), that I really became aware of this part of the world as more than someplace on a map. So, to me, Djenné is the beating heart, and I'm aware of Timbuktu in relationship to where you are. You're right, though, the Timbuktu Renaissance Project seems definitely a project for the good and will get even better if the scope is widened to include what is happening in Djenné, in name and fact.
Susan, that is nice to hear! And in fact, when talking to the 'Timbuktu Renaissance' members- all of them fascinating and equally visionary,please look up http://www.brookings.edu/about/projects/islamic-world/usiwf-2014/usiwf-2014-action-group
it is clear that their ambition does not stop at Timbuktu but they are seeing Timbuktu as the portal through which to enter and to reach the rest of Mali-
Art - drama - music all excellent tools for diplomacy and understanding...and sometimes for starting wars.
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