Shortsynopsis

If art can be a universal language, why shouldn’t it be possible to use it with people of totally different social, religious, educational and cultural backgrounds?

Two visual and performing artists from Berlin, we traveled to remote villages in Mali where people speak only Bambara. we used traditional techniques of smelting ore, music, dance and traditional songs from our different cultures.

We experienced how easily authentic contact could develop.

We started this project to turn our dream into reality. While in Mali dreams are already as real as everyday life; this inspired us to shoot dream-like scenes with Malian villagers

DREAMING MALI

The Language of Art

If it is true that art can be a universal language, why shouldn’t it be possible to use it with people of totally different social, religious, educational and cultural backgrounds?

Two visual and performing artists from Berlin, we traveled to remote villages in Mali villages without electricity or other comforts where people speak only Bambara.

For our projects, we used traditional techniques of smelting ore, blacksmithing, music, dance and singing traditional songs from our different cultures.

We were amazed to see how easily authentic contact could develop between different worlds.

Participating Artists:

Sidi Sow: artist, designer and children’s art teacher, lived in Bamako, died in a motorcycle accident 2008

Toba Seydu Traure: pöhl-musician, calebasse and vocals, lives in Bamako

Adama Bagajogo, Papa Séku Doukansi: silversmith and goldsmith from Bamako

Markus Schaller: multimedia artist, sculptor, lives in Berlin

Barbara Kowa: actress, performance artist, multimedia and dance, lives in Berlin

and many other people from the villages of Sikoro and Dioula Fondo

The World of Dreams

In Germany, our dream was to communicate only through art, so we started this project in Mali to turn our dream into reality.

While in Mali dreams are already as real and as important, as everyday life;the dream-world is a parallel-world of extraordinary importance. This helps explain the culture and mentality of the Malian people and inspired us to shoot several dream-like scenes with Malian villagers.

Dreaming Mali

a no-budget digital multicultural film project 80 minutes long. PAL 16:9 audio:stereo+

multilingual: German, English, French and Bambara with English subtitles

a Feature Film realized largely with village people from Mali

dedicated to Sidi Sow

completed Feb 2010

www.dreaming-mali.de

Credits

Dedicated to:Sidi Sow Translator Organiser Artistic AssistanceCamera operatorDied in a motorcycle accident 2008

Barbara KowaBook and Idea, Producer and DirectorDirector of Photography Editor

Toba Seydou TrauréCallebasse and VocalsPoelmusic and Session

Interviews:Ute Kretschmann Plan internationalPublic relationsand Voice over of Peter Pannkes lnterviews withTounami Diabaté Musician Callebasse player Yaya Coulibalipuppeteerabout dreams

Markus SchallerIdea and construction of the metal box and the ovenSound recordings and musical compositionCamera works

Adama Bagayogo and Sekou Doukansi supervised the building of the oven in Diola Fondoon Bagayogos landBoth are goldsmiths in Bamako

Heike BartschChoreographer and Dancer in Berlin

Mariam SakoWoman in the First Dream

Karim SakoMan in the Second Dream

Samba KantéWorker on the metal market in Bamako

Brulaye KantéKarim KantéMadibou KantéNamori KantéNoumamoussa BagayogoZoumana BagayogoMoudibou TroureBuilt the oven in Diola Fondo

Nantene KamaraCook

NumuteneAkakeneMinataMariamThe Caravan of Elements

Abu Barkary BagayogoBoy playing with little stones

NumakanLanssinBremaNouhanAdamaKids whirling and on the chariot

the village elderand many other lovely peoplefrom Diola Fondo

Marietu SakoGirl dancing and teaching Kora in Sikoro

Balla SamakeMusician in the little house

Mariam SamakeUrukia SackoSinging and dancing in the little house

And many other lovely People of Sikoro

Amidou KaitaMinata Camara BakaryVoice over Greetings in Bambara

Mambidriver for Baobab VoyagesAmidou Kaita

Jean Francois KondéVoice over in BambaraErik HansenVoice over in English

Matthias AlbrechtColour maching and postproductionat Geyer Werke Berlin

Jöern BrodersenFinal soundmix

Music byToba Seydou TraoreandMarkus Schaller

Songs:

Volontaryby M. Schaller & B. Kowa

Village planétaireby M. Schaller & B. Kowa

Inside eyesby M. Schaller & B. Kowa

SouyaBy Toba Seydou Traure During the final sessionwe were improvising to songs of Schubert´s „winter journey“ the „Threepenny Opera“ by Brecht/Weill and traditional Poel songs

Many Thanks to:

Heide Wegert of the DED

Dr Camara BarkaryCentre culturell Germano- Malien Bamako

Gerad MohamadouSOS écoleVillage d´enfants SOSSanam CorobaPlan international

Moussa OuaneCentre Cinematographic Bamako

Jörg ReichardtMatthias KirschkeAli DemirChristian Marol

…and all the friendly andopen-minded people of Mali

-.

Barbara kowa grew up in hamburg (germany) Than she moved to berlin to studie Theater at the „Ernst Bush academie for performing arts“ 1992-96 diploma 1997But already she was interrested in life art performance and video And met nan hoover at the summercademie salzburg in 1995Who became an important mentor and inspiration for her.

So the first moving images she produced where video installations:1995 Mind and Matter Mulitimediaperformance at the gallerie Utaku in Bern1996 Participation in the Video- Performance Festival „working for the mental internet“1998 the higher levels“- video installation shown at saline hallein/a and freiraum berlin1999 homecoming- video for `the long night of thomas bernhard´- mainblau berlin2000- 2003 FREIRAUM berlin an space for continious performances and shows2003 beyond believe- shown at the saline hallein and kunstraum berlin2004 form in flow- kunstraum berlin and gallerie alkatraz hallein2005 Video interlay performance at the Transitstation Berlin

Choreographie and Performance of Sufi dance at the „open air Art Museum“ in Pédvale, Latvia

2007 Performance Mind and Matter 2 at the Transitstation Edinburg ongoing longtime video performance “FOREVER”2008 “The Creators of a coming Paradise” Multimediaperformance at the Watercastel Bad Rappenau -Videoinstallation “basic knowledge” at the Giardinio in Bologna2009 “Tree talks Creators” Multimedia Performance for the “MobileSauna at Theaterchapel” Berlin

While she was working as actress, dancer and performer based in berlin she learned a lot about camerworks and editing through her videoinstallations, specially from working with the two American artists Ellen Cantor and Nan Hoover.

after producing her first 45min poetic documentary in newseeland2002 „the empirer of peace“ shown in the kunsthaus vienna and the watercastel bad rappenau2003 she studied production at the BFA (bavarian film/TV akademie)munich diploma 2005

„Dreaming Mali“ ist he first long movie she made.The different fields of her work (video, acting, art performance

„My idea was to explore what can be said in the language of art using different media.To do so, the artist Markus Schaller and I travelled to Mali where we learned about the deep spiritual importance of blacksmithing and dreams.They were to form the basis of our work there. But also the direct and joyful musical communication in the final session is very important for me.Later, back in Berlin, I translated the Bambara song texts and was touched by how fitting the Bambara and the German songs were. A total coincidence!Which proves how we were all in the same poetic space without knowing what the other was singing about…. “

Barbara kowa

Sidi Sow

We were introduced to Sidi by Heide Wegat from the DED. From the Beginning he understood our idea and helped us with everything to make this film. He supported the project with his contacs, ta-lents and power. he opened many doors and possibilities to make it happen.Sidi was a free artist, designer and teached children in art.He died 2008 in a motorcycle accident in the traffic of Bamako. We all miss him and will not forget him. Markus Schaller

Sidi Sow

DREAMING MALI berlin and mali at new jersays international film festival

Barbara Kowa’s feature film DREAMIMG MALI is an Art film. It’s about Art and transformation as Kowa films Mali and its people revealing a blend of real and surreal. There is an abstract sensibility in its literal images and juxtaposi-tions that show stories dreaming stories. The film goes far beyond documentary into a fantasy world blen-ding Life and Art, people of Mali, cattle, iron ore, smelting, the work, the play, the philosophy and the mu-sic. Kowa has a great eye and great imagination and works with vivid life images including herself as the dreamer. The fact that she is physically one of the most beautiful women, in blonde looks and supple movement, you’ll ever see on a screen doesn’t hurt a bit. There are gorgeous sequences of the nature and peace of the land and water-- and the people. There is a great soundscape mixing native drumming and electronic sound creations by Marcus Schaller and Toba Seydu Trauré, and Schaller appears as iron sculptor, is co-camera and co-writer with Kowa of this extraordinary work. This is a personal voyage of discovery— a dream world blending Art and Life that lifts the viewer into a new relationship with our surroundings.

Richmond Shepard for Lively Arts, N.Y., Oct. 2010

Subtitles

GREATINGS OF THE MALI PEOPLEHow do you do today?How is your family?How is your mother? How is your wife?l am happy to see you!Welcome! And how are you?How is your family?How is the family elder? How are the children?How was your journey here? It’s been a long time. Welcome! l am happy to see you! We are here and we are very well. We are happy that you came here! Thank you!You found us in peace. May God hear your words! l wish you peace, too.

1)INTERVIEV PLAN INTERNATIONAL-This is what you get for 25 euros in Germany.-In Mali you could give 300 children a polio vaccination for 25 euros. -Or you could provide a family with drinking water for many months.-This is a great help!

2)INTERVIEV YAYA COULIBALI -Talking about the spiritual world means talking about dreams. -The world today is blocked because people don’t pay attention to their dreams kann weg, was meinst du?-What is the meaning of us humans living on the earth?-Dreams are not only my leader and guide...-dreams play an extraordinary role.-Dreams push us towards the metamorphosis.-Build a global village where all elements come together!- If you don’t dream, you have no life.

3)Radio:- ...for more than 20 years mankind has been consuming more than the earth has been giving us. If everyone would live like us Europeans, we would need 3 Earths. If everyone would live like the Americans, we would need 6! But there are many people who live on only 10% of what we consume.

4)DREAM2Once there was someone who had nothing but time. He did not know himself; he knew only hunger and thirst. As the world around him changed faster and

faster, he could not keep up. He could not even feed his own family. He felt empty inside. He tried to fight his feeling of helplessness with violence. One fine day a miracle happened: The poor man realized himself! He saw that his power to cultivate his land lay in his time and patience and not in reckless violence. He trusted in his abilities again. He relaxed and his need for self-assertion waned for he felt happy and free and in harmony with those around him.

Once there was someone who had everything but time. He did not know himself for he had too much to take care of. He was hungry for peace and thirsty for meaning and he tried to fill his emptiness with possessions. He possessed everything he needed as well as everything he did not need. But he felt empty inside. He started working and acting like a machine. One fine day a miracle happened: The rich man realized himself! He saw that his strength lay in his ability to give to the needy and not in all his possessions. He trusted in his own abilities again instead of in his money and weapons. He saw how he had been a slave to money. He relaxed and his need for self-assertion waned for he felt happy and free and in harmony with those around him.

5)Radio:-... Through his software company, founded in 1975, he became the richest man in the world. 6 years ago he set up the foundation: “It’s about a new way of support, it’s not about compassion which will just prolong the suffering, it’s about eliminating injustice...”

6)Here, in 1236, the Mandé drafted The Charter of Kurukan Fuga, the world’s first declaration on the rights of man

7)It is said that the art of iron smelting was discovered in Africa where they used ovens like these.

8) Hey white girl!

9)Today everybody eats much meat. The animals are a symbol of wealth, but they eat all the plants! When they´ve all been eaten and the earth is barren, we will have nothing left but animals to eat.

10)It looks like my son is sitting in the gold mine! How are you today?

11)The gold diggers don’t find time to cultivate their land, so they just burn it. But if they don’t find any gold, they have nothing to eat.

12)Everything is burning! Look! All of this is burning! It’s hot! It’s too hot!!

13)-They come here, they ask questions. They even ask what kind of tree that was! - They work a lot. - There is not a single place around here they are not checking.

14)You are welcome my friend! Help us finish this work.

15)They are making photos! No, this is film!

SONGS OF THE FINAL SESSION

16)...(wheal)My friends, l greet you! l have pain in my leg and pain in my stomach. But l wish you joy and happiness while you work in the fields! The smith will heal me. My friends, l greet you!As a stranger l came here and as a stranger l will go.Love loves to travel from one to another; this is how God made it. And as a stranger l will go.

17) (wedge) Be careful how you treat a smith! If a smith becomes your enemy, watch out! A smith is a special person with a special kind of power! Big ship, the ship of the smiths. Don’t try to compete with the ship of smiths! Have faith in the ship of the smiths because you cannot prevail against it. The shark has pretty teeth in the middle of its face, but Macheath has a knife and he keeps it out of sight. Sunday morning on the sidewalk lies a body oozing life. Mack is creeping round the corner as if he hadn´t seen a thing…

18)...(bowl) 24 l saw three suns above the sky. l looked at them closely. And they stood absolutely still as if they would never leave me. No, you are not my suns! Go and look at someone else! Not long ago l also had three! But now the two best ones have gone down. l wish the third would soon follow. l will feel better in the dark.Even if you can’t make the world bloom, you can plant a garden in your village.

19) (Mask) We called for the Nama and he came. We called for the big powerful God of Fire, for the Great Stranger, for the Nama, and he came.

20) May all future generations enjoy tolerance, generosity, creativity, peace and goodwill.

© Barbara Kowa (all rights reservates) Berlin 2009

Barbara Kowa in interview at the ECU Filmfestival 2010 in Paris.