Palais de la Culture Amadou Hampaté Ba
Encyclopedia
The Palais de la culture Amadou Hampaté Ba is the national performing arts centre for the West African nation of Mali
, located in the capitol Bamako
. Founded in 1976, the PCAHB is a public establishment, supported by the state for the preservation of traditional means of artistic expression. It is directed by the Direction Nationale des Arts et de la Culture of Mali, an arm of the Ministry of Culture, and is home to a number of Malian national institutions, including the Mali Centre of the International Theatre Institute, the National Theatre, the National Orchestra, the National Ballet Company, and the National Institute of the Arts. The current Palace of Culture was constructed in 1996. It is named for the famed Malian novelist and national hero Amadou Hampaté Ba
. Its current director is Madame Haïdara Aminata Sy, named March 2008.
. It is in the neighborhood of Badalabougou SEMA, close to the Pont des Martyrs and spans three hectares, one of which is occupied by the building itself. It is accessible by the south by a paved road which links Bamako's two bridges: Pont des Martyrs and Pont du Roi FAHD. It is bordered to the north by the River Niger, to the south by a paved road which separates it from the neighborhood Badalabougou I, to the east by the Avenue de l’OUA, and to the west by open land.
.
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, located in the capitol Bamako
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
. Founded in 1976, the PCAHB is a public establishment, supported by the state for the preservation of traditional means of artistic expression. It is directed by the Direction Nationale des Arts et de la Culture of Mali, an arm of the Ministry of Culture, and is home to a number of Malian national institutions, including the Mali Centre of the International Theatre Institute, the National Theatre, the National Orchestra, the National Ballet Company, and the National Institute of the Arts. The current Palace of Culture was constructed in 1996. It is named for the famed Malian novelist and national hero Amadou Hampaté Ba
Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Amadou Hampâté Bâ was a Malian writer and ethnologist.-Biography:...
. Its current director is Madame Haïdara Aminata Sy, named March 2008.
Building
The Palais de la Culture resides in Bamako, Mali on right bank of the Niger RiverNiger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
. It is in the neighborhood of Badalabougou SEMA, close to the Pont des Martyrs and spans three hectares, one of which is occupied by the building itself. It is accessible by the south by a paved road which links Bamako's two bridges: Pont des Martyrs and Pont du Roi FAHD. It is bordered to the north by the River Niger, to the south by a paved road which separates it from the neighborhood Badalabougou I, to the east by the Avenue de l’OUA, and to the west by open land.
Composition
- The central building which consists of the administration, a library, a conference room, and a workshop;
- La Salle Bazumana Sissoko, the venue for performing arts with 3300 seats;
- Halls for special exhibitions and shops to accommodate merchants;
- Lodging for artists;
- Garden which consists of a theater, pedestrian walkways, the gallery, and five artisanal workshops
- Two cultural spaces
- les Cocotiers;
- multimedia center;
- esplanade and playgrounds (pétanquePétanquePétanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet or jack. It is also sometimes called a bouchon or le petit...
, football, basketball court); - Exposition village.
- esplanade and playgrounds (pétanque
Artistic Groups
The artistic groups at the Palais occupy 2/3 of the Palais de la Culture's personnel. There are four such groups.- KOTEBA National du MaliKotéba National du MaliSince its formation in 1969, the drama troupe Kotéba National du Mali has performed classic pieces of by Malian, African, and even European authors. In 1979 in search of a form of theatrical expression true to its traditional Bambaran heritage, the group took the form of the koteba consisting of...
(the theater) - L’Ensemble Instrumental NationalL’Ensemble Instrumental NationalEstablished the day after the Independence of Mali in 1961, l’Ensemble instrumental national is an orchestra of traditional Malian music and song.Its mission is to maintain and give value to the heritage of Malian forms of music and song.-Repertoire:...
(the national orchestra) - Les Ballets MalienLes Ballets MalienFounded the day before the independence of Mali on September 22, 1960, the ensemble folkloric of Mali by 1978 had evolved into an aristic group specializing traditional malian dance, Les Ballets maliens, but open to the innovations of contemporary dance and choreography.-Repertoire:*The dance of...
(the ballet) - Le BADEMA NationalLe BADEMA NationalFormerly the orchestra Les Maravillas du Mali, the musical group took on the name Badema National in 1976. From the lush savannah in the south to the all-encompassing desert of the north, the Badema National's repertoire spans the diversity of Malian music...
Events
As well as artistic events, the PCAHB also plays host to national and international gatherings. The PCAHB was one of the locations for the 2006 World Social ForumWorld Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
.