Someplace in Bamako

Getting ready for another trip to Africa is always as exciting and frantic as my first trip there. I love Mali. It's one of the most incredible places on the face of the earth. Instead of cramping up my fingers trying to type up some sort of barely adequate description of the wonders of Mali; the excitement of Bamako, the mystery of Ségou, the colors of the Dogon, the spectacle of Djenne on market day I will, instead show you…I hope. This is going to be a video blog. I will try to post video on a daily basis but frankly that’s way too optimistic. I will be taking video every day and will post when I get access to the internet. There will be a time lag, hopefully not too dramatic.

I’m going to Mali this time around to finish up a documentary on Nambala Keita. The above clip is the promo video for the documentary. I’ll be spending time in Nambala’s small village, Nana Kenieba. I’ll be shooting for the documentary but I’ll be working with some of the students at the school. Since I speak neither Bambara nor French, the two languages spoken in the village, my work with the students will be mostly visual; art, video, and photography. It’s also a great opportunity for those students studying English to practice on me.

Known as "The White House" this is one of the USAID house built during the project in Djoliba.

 

The courtyard view of the 3 bedroom house.

The village of Djoliba is where another documentary will take place. During the 1960s USAID engaged in a project to “modernize” the housing in Djoliba in what was an innovative and controversial social experiment. USAID made a short 16mm film documentary of this project which Cherif Keita, my filmmaking partner and I were able to get our hands on. We’re taking that film back to Djoliba for a screening more than 50 years after it was first shown there. We are going to focus this documentary on the impact of the USAID work in the village, the reacquainting of the village members with the film and perhaps be able to talk with and interview some of the people who were part of the attempted modernization. I’m really hoping to find some of the people who were in the original 1960 film.