Mali

Acte Sept is a Malian cultural association created in 1994 by artists, comedians, stage directors and teachers from the National Arts Institute. They wanted to develop an innovative tool capable of opening up new spaces for the artistic creation and reaching a wider audience. The association’s goal was to raise awareness, educate and promote theatre. Quickly the association’s work scope expanded to include freedom of expression. Therefore Acte SEPT’s contributes in promoting Malian culture and favoring each of its member thriving through artistic and cultural activities.

Acte Sept is well known especially for promoting the Festival du Théâtre des Réalités, an international event that takes place in December and gathers several artists from the continent and beyond. Since 2001, the festival occurs every two years, alternating with the Rencontres Théâtrales de Bamako, a festival with a national program. Apart from these events, the association carries out other activities: social intervention theatre; producing/diffusing author’s theatre; training (internships and workshops) destined for artists (writers, plastic artists, musicians, cultural managers); publications; intercultural exchange projects.

Activities revolve around several workshops of musical instrument construction. These involve members from Acte Sept, young people in fragile situations and local population. The workshops aim at getting young people to know their own cultural richness and train them in the use of traditional instruments. The volunteer group takes part in the theatrical and artistic workshops with children from a village where the program SOS enfants is established, and they produce together a play. Apart from the workshops, the program with Acte Sept allows participants to familiarize themselves with the active Malian civil society by meeting different committed associations in Bamako.