Association Donkosira
Lack of water in the lowlands (Damaro, Guinea), March 2022
Tenen Sangare explains that she has two types of difficulties in the lowlands: the cows and the lack of water. The cows are free in this dry season and come to graze in her field. The lack of water too: they suffer a lot. If there is no water in a lowland, the production cannot be good. She can’t afford
“Gaming Against Slavery” : the Djonya Kêlè Game Jams
Last December 2022, Marie Rodet with partners Donkosira (Mali) and Jiwe Studios (Kenya) organised a game jam in Bamako (Mali) with young villager participants in the project Djonya Kêlè Ja Toulon to design video game concepts to raise awareness on the issue of descent-based slavery and give people the tools and inspiration to fight it. These concepts were based on the oral history work about descent-based
The final conference of the Watigueleya Kèlê project in Conakry, 13-14 February 2023
On 13 and 14 February, the final conference of the Watigueleya Kêlè (Climate Resilience in West Africa) project on the theme “Poetics of the environment and resilience of research” started in Conakry, at the CIRD facilities. The conference aimed to bring together villagers involved in the project and researchers, in order to bridge the gap between the academic sphere and
The healer and his medicines (Damaro Guinea), March 2022
Lansiné Camara is a healer in Damaro, displaying the products of his pharmacopoeia. He treats gastritis, internal and external haemorrhoids, and typhoid, which we have managed in hospitals. He also treats liver problems, backache, diabetes, hot feet and blood pressure, rheumatism. It has a product that facilitates childbirth. It also treats sterility. It also combats snake bites, rabies and toothache.
Diarakendou dry pond (Damaro, Guinea), March 2022
Mandiou Camara speaks: “I am stopped in the middle of the pond. Look, there is no more water left in the pond. Otherwise it used to be a big pond. It is also a pond where we grow crops. You see, farming doesn’t work. One day a gentleman asked us to lend him our land. We told him that agriculture
Tomb of a patriarch, Fono Oussou Camara (Damaro, Guinea), March 2022
We are at the tomb of Fono Oussou Camara, the ancestor of the chiefs and ancestors of Damaro, father of Diaraken and Fakassia, Bossoboy and many others. We are at the tomb of the ancestor of all the Damaro people. This is our history. Everyone must know his history. We are at the tomb of Diarakendou. Thank God, this is
An invented script: the nkan (Damaro Guinea), March 2022
Lansiné Camara, a healer in Damaro, invented an alphabet for himself to write Malinké: his writing is called nkan (it is neither the Latin nor the Arabic alphabet, nor nko), and he names the letters one by one in his notebook. The alphabet has 28 letters. He transcribes all the sounds in Maninka. He writes for example “I am going
Road repair (Bouillagui, Mali), October 2022
During the rainy season there are certain problems in Bouillagui, such as the degradation of roads. In order to find sustainable solutions to this problem, which is due to climate change and the rainfall that degrades some roads, the villagers decided to rebuild the roads. Using stones and gravel, a day’s work was organised to asphalt the roads, which is
The colonial stone road Kerouané / Beyla (Damaro, Guinée), October 2022
This stone-marked road through Diarakendou linked Kerouané to Beyla during the colonial era. It was a path that could be followed on horseback. The stones are still visible today and their alignment is still more or less visible depending on the place. They cross the forest which keeps the memory of this road.
Farabolon, the place of circumcision (Damaro, Guinea), October 2022
This place is called Farabolon. I, who am talking to you now, was circumcised here. This is a place of circumcision. I spent three months here with friends. We slept here, we spent the day here, nobody went back to the village during the whole circumcision period. It was our parents who came to bring us food. The men were