By Arnaud JouvePosted on 01-09-2019Modified on 01-09-2019 at 06:13

To bring about change, Alioune Ifra N'Diaye's "Nyanajè Taama" ("well-being while roaming") is aimed at Malian youth. A program of education for citizenship carried by cultural actions on the initiative of a man with multiple talents who works to move the lines of his country and prepare the Mali of tomorrow. Interview with Alioune Ifra N'Diaye in preparation for a show entitled "Hòròn", which he will present on September 14 at UNESCO, to give visibility to its action program on 35 cities in Mali.

A cultural creator in multiple fields, Alioune Ifra N'Diaye, tireless defender of the plagues of Malian society, is not his first initiative. After studying cinema in Montreal, cultural engineering in Paris, he and Jean-Louis Duvauroux created a Bambara piece, a Malian de coeur , founded the BlonBa troupe, opened the BlonBa cultural space from 2007 to 2012. Producer of television, he applied to the General Directorate of the Office of Broadcasting Television of Mali (ORTM). He creates Wôklöni (the elves in Mandingo mythology), a privately-funded, privately-funded, public-funded channel that will produce cartoons. After the coup d'etat of 2012, he rides Taynibougou ("The city of profiteers") to make the public think about corruption. As a producer, director, author, creator of events, he multiplies his actions in various cultural fields and is today dedicated with "Nyanajè Taama" (the "well-being in roaming") to the civic education with a Malian youth that he always accompanied.

RFI : what is your view of Mali today ?

Alioune Ifra N'Diaye : Mali is the result of centuries of deconstruction. Since its independence in 1960, its peoples have had the immense task of reinventing a harmonious society on a territory drawn up according to external interests. I am of these peoples. Our reflex was above all to prove that we are from prestigious stories. Most of our energy has been devoted to it since independence. And without realizing it, we have built a society that essentially defines its present in the past and not the future to build. In addition to this difficulty in building a common symbolic universe related to the realities of today's world, we have not been able to reinvent a modern solidarity and a public administration accepted as representative of the general interest. Today, the question is posed to us in a violent way with the multifaceted crisis we have been experiencing since 2014 and our relationship with the post-capitalist "New World" in construction, with the challenges of digital, renewable energies, safeguarding environment, nanotechnology and culture. Even the best prepared countries have difficulties to become one with this revolution. With the crisis started in 2013, in just a few years, our traditional founding legends have suddenly stopped putting us in motion and confidence. The relentless realities of the present day are overflowing on all sides, providing a highway for the rise of mafia organizations with military, trade union, religious or ethnic connotations seeking to replace the state.

Given this observation, how to start change in Mali ?

I consider this situation of Mali as an opportunity. Everything is to reinvent. With a very young population, made up of 80% of individuals aged 40 and under, with 50% under 15 years of age. It is uncomplicated and has built a cultural engine through social networks and television programs. Even if today it is generally expressed by a protest of all the authorities (family, school, academic, administrative, religious, political, professional, etc.), by the desire to expatriate oneself or by clumsy forms of to show his attachment to his country, this age group is the key to a new dynamic of a post-crisis Mali and in line with the evolution of the world. That is why we are proposing a new citizenship education program called "Nyanajè Taama" ("well-being while roaming").

The actions of "Nyanajè Taama" aim to "sell" to young people the new Mali emerging from the crisis, opportunities, democratic and decentralized where they are now invited to participate actively, both as rights holders, but also of responsibilities. It is a configuration expanded to new forms of youthful expressions and communication: television, events, leisure, travel, competitions, social networks, artistic and cultural dissemination, scientific culture, writing, civic entertainment, etc.

It is a political initiative or a citizen action ?

It is a citizen action. We are very well known for our commitment in this area. Our experience in citizenship education, through cultural production, is indisputable. Under the BlonBa label, we designed and implemented the audiovisual component of the PNEC (National Program for Citizenship Education), which was a great popular success and achieved almost 50% voter turnout. In 2006 to 2009, we helped to reduce mistrust among the general public and this contributed to the improvement of the civil registration rate of Malian children at birth. It is with this experience that we would like to work to rebuild the Malian's confidence in Mali and the authorities in Mali.

Your initiatives do not only make you friends. Is it difficult to work in such a divided country ?

It is true that it is difficult to work in Mali with relative independence. You must belong to a camp. I admit that it does not make my job easier. And partisan recovery attempts are regular. But also a lot of sabotage! It is a lot of energy spent that could have been used differently.

What is the " Nyanajè Taama " program ?

Nyanaje Taama is an ambitious citizenship education program. Each season covers 35 cities, sensitizes 3 million people and puts into action 3,500 young people who will influence an average of ten of their comrades. It renews the link between authorities (administrative, school, traditional, political, economic) with young people. In itself, the program produces 35 caravans between 35 cities. It offers a television program consisting of 11 broadcasts of 90 minutes containing more than 77 reports, bio express, interview, sketch, monograph of neighborhoods, towns and villages. It programs in the cities covered 172 cultural activities, team building (reinforcement of team), conferences-debates, initiations to the stakes of the "New World", animations related to the stakes of the demographic dividend.

To launch and publicize the program "Nyanajè Taama", in connection with the Malian government we will present a musical show entitled Hòròn September 14 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

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