Yeredon School for

Art, Culture and Social Engagement

The Yeredon School for Art, Culture, and Social Engagement is located in the Dumanzana neighborhood of Bamako, Mali in West Africa.

Yeredon is run in Mali by Seydou Coulibaly and his wife Michelle Bach-Coulibaly (a professor at Brown University). The Coulibaly’s have built this cultural center so that American and European students may study traditional Bamana dance, music, and culture, and so that the artists in Mali have an incentive to remain in Mali, and retain this traditional knowledge. Every August, the Coulibaly’s take a trip of students to Mali. However, students are welcome to visit Yeredon year round, as artists are in residence throughout the year teaching local students as well international students & scholars.

WHAT YOU CAN STUDY:
* Dance
* Drumming, Bala (balafon), kora, n'goni, and other instruments
* Bamana language

For more information:
Yeredon School c/o
Erich Ludwig
38 Clark St, #1
Somerville, MA 02143

THE PEOPLE:

Seydou Coulibaly - master dancer, former artistic director and lead dancer for Troupe District de Bamako. Seydou has been leading trips of students and researchers to Mali for the past 10 years. He and Michelle are building a cultural center in Safo to help preserve knowledge of the old traditions.
Michelle Bach-Coulibaly - Assistant Professor of Theater, Speech and Dance at Brown University. Michelle has been travelling to Africa for over 15 years, studying dance and culture. Her classes at Brown have reached thousands of students and have inspired many developmental and cultural exchanges and projects in Mali.
Erich Ludwig - Founder, WADaBo & Founder, Erich Ludwig Creative Consulting (www.erichludwig.com). Erich has been studying with Michelle and Seydou for 10 years, and has lived in Mali on & off since 2001. Erich was the local producer for the film "What About Me" in Mali in 2004.
Sekou Camara - professor of English. Sekou teaches visitors Bamana, and serves as a guide and interpreter for many visitors to Mali. Sekou's work is dedicated to preserving and documenting Bambara culture.

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS:

The co-directors of Yeredon are Seydou Coulibaly and his wife Michelle Bach-Coulibaly. They conduct research and cultural exchange programs for students and scholars from the United States and Europe to Mali, and are active in international collaborations with Malian artists and scholars. Ms. Bach-Coulibaly is a professor at Brown University in Rhode Island in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies. Seydou is an internationally known artist, having risen to prominence in his native Mali during the 1980's as an actor, dancer, and choreographer with artistic troupes in Bamako.