OBAMAKO: The Event

Sometime last week we learned there would be an event at the National Museum in Bamako on January 19 called OBAMAKO. So like any good American I spent the day retaining legal council to sue the organizers for copyright infringement. 

Actually we went to the event and it was wonderful. It’s very late and I’m tired so I’ll be brief. The event was organized by a group of journalists and took place in an outdoor area at the Musee. It included a panel debate about whether Obama’s election would actually benefit Africa and a concert by a Kora orchestra. The orchestra included the son and daughter of Grammy winning Malian kora player Toumani Diabate.

My OBAMAKO pins were a major hit. The organizers were very excited and blown away that I made them in the States and they chose the exact same name for their event. I gave out a few dozen pins to people including the orchestra, the organizers, a BBC journalist and a Swiss radio reporter. 

The debate was interesting and the high point was when they asked Eduardo to make a statement as an American. He talked about MLK Day and Obama’s charge for Americans to give back. He talked about his and Teresa’s work at the clinic and mentioned the film I’m working on. It was a great moment. Teresa has those pictures. I was shooting video.

The kora music was amazing and the accompanying singers were amazing. I shot a lot of video. The band’s manager and also the manager for Toumani wants the video. I’ll definitely get it to her. So we had a great night, heard some interesting points of view, contributed to the cultural exchange, saw the African Obama excitement firsthand, listened to wonderful music and once again felt very lucky for being in Mali.

We learned from the BBC journalist about a place called The America Club where we are planning to go to watch the inauguration. I read a bit about it online. Sounds pretty nice and it has beach volleyball, hamburgs and hot dogs.