Voice4Thought Academy Mali also contributes to other projects in Mali and across the Sahel region. Activities outside the V4TA Mali programme are an important part of the Academy’s autonomisation, its efforts to ensure the programme’s continuity beyond the current funding period. In addition to participating in other projects, the Academy also takes part in activities such as the annual international campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and International Women’s Day, including activities in Yanfolila.
Below is an overview of these projects.
DDMAC – Decoding Digital Media in African Conflicts (2022–2023)
As part of this project, funded by the Norwegian Research Council, V4T Academy Mali was responsible for conducting research in Mali on the role of digital communication in conflicts, with particular attention to disinformation and hate speech. In 2023, V4TA Mali organised a workshop in Bamako with Malian experts on digital media. The team also examined the role of WhatsApp groups and local radio stations during crises and conflicts in Mali.
CASP – Coupe d’Afrique de Slam Poésie (2023)
V4T Academy Mali collaborated with CASP, Africa’s largest slam poetry organisation, during the finals in Bamako. The Academy organised a workshop on deepfakes, disinformation, and their legal implications, and contributed to the festival’s technical organisation.
FOTOS
Slam et Eve (2021)
Het festival Slam et Eve, in samenwerking met Voice4Thought Academy Mali, vond in juni 2021 plaats in Bamako, Mali. Slam et Eve is een slamconcert waar alleen vrouwen aan deelnemen, dat in 2016 in Tsjaad werd opgericht en onderdeel werd van het internationale festival N’Djam s’enflamme en slam. Sindsdien is het uitgegroeid tot een terugkerend evenement dat de rol van vrouwen in de slamkunst viert en promoot. Naast optredens van vrouwelijke slamartiesten ligt de nadruk tijdens workshops op het ontwikkelen van vaardigheden binnen de slamkunst. Beginnende slamartiesten krijgen les van bekende en ervaren artiesten, die hun kennis en ervaring met hen delen. In Bamako gaf slamartiest Amee uit Ivoorkust les.
V4TA Mali slamtrainer Fanta Mariko, uit Ségou, heeft deelgenomen aan de internationale wereldcompetitie slam poetry in Parijs. Ze werd onderscheiden tijdens de Prix de l’Éloquence in de categorie slam.
Nomadic Pastoralism: Research in Mali (ongoing)
V4T Académie Mali collaborated with researchers from the University of Florida on research into the effects of insecurity and conflict on pastoral communities in Mali. In three regions, 300 surveys were conducted, focusing on changes in security, mobility, livestock farming, and livelihoods, as well as on how communities respond to political, social, and environmental conflicts.
Read articles about the research on our website, including: ‘Local authorities’ intervention in managing conflicts between herders and farmers: the case of Bodo’.
Water Mobility (ongoing)
IHE Delft’s Water Mobility programme supports innovative projects that contribute to a fair and sustainable approach to water, with particular attention to the relationship between water, climate change, and mobility. As part of this project, V4T, together with the Algerian consultancy ECA, is exploring the complex relationship between migration, mobility, and climate change in Mali and Algeria, with a focus on local stories and perspectives.
Académie Mali has both an implementation and a substantive role in the project. The Academy trains and supports young people in research and creative methods such as photography, video, slam poetry, and theatre. Drawing on their local contexts, they collect and share stories and knowledge about mobility, climate, and water through presentations, debates, and cultural activities.
Read an article written by one of the researchers on our website here.
Djonya Kélé Ja Toulon – Gamers against Slavery in Mali (2021–2022)
In collaboration with Malian organisations and SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, V4T Académie Mali researched the practice of ‘hereditary slavery’ in Mali, with particular attention to young people’s perspectives. Young people were trained in research and visual methods and conducted fieldwork in the regions of Kayes and Macina. Based on the research, a theatre production was developed, with the possible development of a mobile video game as a next step.
For more information, visit the project’s Facebook page.
Médias et polycrise au Mali (ongoing)
Médias et polycrise au Mali (Media in Times of Multiple Crises in Mali) is a research project by Voice4Thought (V4T) in collaboration with the Hirondelle Foundation. The project examines how local journalism in Mali can continue to provide reliable and relevant information in a context of multiple crises, including conflict, humanitarian challenges, political instability, and climate change.
Researchers from V4TA Mali contribute to the preparation and implementation of the fieldwork, including through interviews and observations in different regions of Mali. The Academy also contributes to the analysis and reporting of the research findings and to the development of a podcast to share the findings more widely.
