Virginia Friends of Mali

Djita: Pearls of Wisdom from a Sister City Djita is a girl born of Malian parents in Virginia and educated in several countries. Through the young life of this iconic figure, “Djita: Pearls of Wisdom from a Sister City” seeks to illustrate the rich diversity of Malian culture with mothers and children at its core. Djita’s story is a tangible witness of global shared values. Through 1 July 2011.  Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia .  The main exhibition at the Black History Museum is  Pearls of Wisdom: Black Families and the Nobility of Everyday Living.  00 Clay St. Richmond VA 23219 804-780-0093 or information.bhm@gmail.com Hours: 10am - 5pm / Tuesday - Saturday / Tickets $5  Virginia Museum of Fine Arts permanent African Collection is very, very good and lives here in Richmond for your convenience, free of charge. The highlight of the museum's current offerings, however, is the special exhibition: Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Ar...

Halfway through this year's visit to Mali and I've visited Bamako, Segou, Koutiala and I may get to Sikasso. I got here in time for the last of the Harmattan, seasonal winds that keep the days looking smoggy and the nights looking smoky and sexy like an old jazz nightclub. But nothing's old or jazz about the music scene here. I've only had a taste and really, it is gorgeous. The photo above was taken in Markala at the local civil social services coordinating agency. Kida is on the right and the man directly to his left is the agency's director. Our visit was quick, but almost every social services issue a community can have touches base or is coordinated through this agency. In terms of the business at hand, I've visiting all three of the AUPAP project sites, taken photos and am in the process of writing my reports. In all three instances the need is clear. And, as I was going through the photos from last February's visit to Les Poupons I discovered on...