Virginia Friends of Mali

Segou project manager Madani Sissoko (pictured left with an old friend, the city hall gardener) sent the slideshow of photos below that document progress since July on all four projects: the latrine/washroom blocks at the municipal kindergarten, the public market and community health care clinic as well as improvements to the clinic's maternity wing.

WEDNESDAY, 8 JUNE 2011 Robin, Michelle, Allan, Dana and Ana ran up to DC for the day to get visas from the Malian embassy for upcoming trips and to have a nice face-to-face with Adam Kaplan and his staff at Sister Cities International. The AUPAP latrine and maternity clinic renovation projects are moving, slowly, but steadily, towards construction even as we hold our breath that the work can get done before the rainy season takes a complete and slushy hold on Segou. We also discussed other projects of VFOM most, though not all, of which are centered on or based in Segou. Our annual visits to the Festival Sur Le Niger, hosting of friends visiting from Segou, intra-national youth film and photography projects, and the simple rewarding business of getting to know one another's countries and lifeways. All went well and we even managed to vacate the capital region by 3pm and so miss the exiting wall of traffic that is so many commuters' daily nightmare. FRIDAY, 3 JUNE 2011 First F...

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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...