To encourage the sharing of experiences initiated in the various workshops of the Watigueleya Kêlè project (Climate Resilience in West Africa), the Donkosira association organised a village tour from 3-5 October 2023 in the villages of Banzana and Monzona (Mali). It brought together village delegates from Damaro, Mandou and Bossoko (Guinea), Bougarila, Bouillagui, Monzona and Banzana (Mali) and Missirah Tabadiang,
Fruit trees provide food and some even have medicinal properties. They are much appreciated by the villagers, but because of the poor state of the soil and the lack of water, many of these trees had disappeared. Thanks to the village well, the people of Wassadou Depot have been able to replant several of them. We have grafted
Because of climate change, villagers are facing difficulties that affect their crops, their food and financial security and their quality of life. In this report, they talk about these difficulties: the lack of rain, the drought, the poor condition of the land, but also the roaming of animals, which can completely destroy crops. “I grow rice and okra in
The villagers taking part in the Watigueleya Kele programme have collected a number of songs that accompany farm work. More or less recent, they punctuate the collective work, encourage the workers and sometimes express their concerns and hopes. Song (Bouillagui) waxati kigné ono soxano dema hakheti sou iwa soukho teni noxo: soxé ni gollè mounafante nia kha khotenie,
Climate change and the adverse effects that go with it mean that farmers have to adapt their crops to get through the lean seasons. The lean season is the period before the next harvest when food supplies from the previous season run out. Drought and increased climatic hazards mean that stocks are depleted more quickly, making people more vulnerable to
Wintering (the rainy season) is an important period in agricultural activity, when the rains invigorate the fields and make them fertile. Unfortunately, because of climate change and irregular and decreasing rainfall, crops suffer from drought, producing poor harvests that do not allow farmers to make a living. Faced with these difficulties, villagers have had to adapt their farming practices in
After a year’s work by the artistic and technical teams of the ‘Gaming against slavery’ project, split between Mali, Senegal, Kenya, the UK and France, a first version of the game was launched in Nairobi on 30 September 2023! The launch took place at the Game Centre in Nairobi, and was attended by around thirty people (developers, artists, bloggers, etc.).
The change in rainfall at Bandafassi is a crucial issue in terms of climate resilience, particularly in terms of adapting the sowing calendar. Fonio is sown according to anticipated rainfall, which sometimes turns out to be wrong, with significant effects on yield. This video shows the different stages in the fonio harvest in our villages. This is the harvesting of
Deforestation exacerbates the effects of climate change, and impacts people’s food security (reduced access to fruit). However, in the short term, cutting down trees provides essential services to local communities, particularly for construction. To avoid having to cut down the roast tree, whose fruit is edible and which grows slowly, the villagers of Bougarila have turned to another species for
In collective cultures, we celebrate the hero among all the men in the village, the one who works the fastest and the best. He is the hero of the day. At home, in the evening, the reward for the hero is the head of the ram that has been killed for the community. The head is handed over to him,