BCA Staff Member Crosses Cultural Boundaries Through Art

Ko-Falen Cultural Center uses art making as a way to bring people of different cultures together. When I learned about the organization, through my work for BCA, I was determined to experience it first-hand, and requested time off to participate in a workshop and volunteer as a short-term staffer at the Center in Mali. I am grateful to BCA for the opportunity to fulfill this desire.

I arrived in Bamako on December 15, weary after two days of travel to my hot and dusty sub-Saharan destination. I was immediately greeted with a warm hug and "Jesseeeca! Bonsoir! Bienvenue au Mali!" by my friend and colleague Baba Wagué Diakité, Executive Director of Ko-Falen Cultural Center, and his brother, Madou. Having lived in Senegal for four months as a Lewis & Clark College student, this warm greeting felt like a homecoming to a home I hadn't known for six years.

During my first days in Mali, I was struck by two things: how wonderful it was that everyone who walked by said hello, and the realization that my French language skills weren't going to be as useful in Mali as they were in Senegal. I was used to traveling in countries where I could independently get by on my second language; but not knowing any Bambara (the principal language of Mali, which has a literacy rate of 19 percent), how was I going to function for three weeks?

I needn't have worried. I learned that no matter how different our cultures, when we make art together, all the other stuff seems inconsequential. This realization was further evidenced by my very sweet friendship with Awa, the woman who cooked for our group at the center. She doesn't speak a word of French, nor can she read. But many times a day, our short conversations of "Good Morning/Afternoon! How are you?!" coupled with a handshake or high-five, were enough to create a simple friendship. I think fondly of Awa and hope I can see her again someday.

Traveling to a place that is so vastly different from your own home can be disorienting. We in the U.S. are so accustomed to our basic services, water, garbage, electricity, a functioning government (never mind your political views). We know cultural and societal cues when seeing people on the street in America, and what people mean when they say things with a certain inflection. This is the very essence of culture. When we place ourselves in another culture, how do we reconcile the differences?

My humble answer? A strong sense of humor, a few large grains of salt and a curiosity that drives an intention to learn as much as one can from the people you encounter. When you let go of your assumptions about how things should work, cross-cultural exchanges are truly magical as both parties realize that we're all just people, with families and basic needs.

Like all good arts organizations, Ko-Falen brings people together and lets art work its magic on us: opening us up to new experiences and connecting with people who, on the surface, seem so different. It helps us learn to laugh at ourselves when we don't know how to do something but we try to create anyway. My experience at in Mali taught me the inherent beauty of places and people who may lack even basic services. Malians have so little material goods in their lives. But they love to laugh and sing and dance and make beautiful things. The best part -- they love to share it.

Click to learn more information about Ko-Falen Cultural Center and its wonderful international art-making opportunities.