Help Preserve Traditional Dance and Music in Mali

Dear Kono Gnaga Friends and Family,

As we enter the final months of 2025, we’re filled with anticipation for the new school year and the programs we will deliver across our partner schools for the 2025–2026 academic year.

This past year brought tremendous joy and pride. We celebrated our 7th Annual Kono Gnaga Festival in Bamako, uniting nine partner schools in a vibrant community celebration. After three months of intensive workshops, students took the stage to share their creativity, confidence, and love for Mali’s cultural heritage. We also expanded our reach to Segou, launching new programming in collaboration with the Mieruba Art Center, a milestone that deepened our connection with students, artists, and educators beyond Bamako.

Yet, as we celebrate these successes, we also face serious funding challenges that may force us to scale back our programs. Despite this uncertainty, our commitment to the children, teachers, and communities we serve remains unwavering. Parents have told us that their children are more motivated to attend school because of Kono Gnaga’s programs, and girls, who represent 80% of our participants, report feeling more confident in their studies and in themselves.

We know what’s at stake. When girls gain confidence and stay in school, entire communities benefit. With your continued support, we can ensure these transformative opportunities don’t disappear. Even as we adjust to limited resources, we are determined to keep the heartbeat of Kono Gnaga alive, preserving culture, expanding education, and empowering the next generation of Malian youth.

Looking ahead, we’re planning an artist collaboration event in the Washington, DC area on Friday, November 14 (see attached flyer) and will proudly participate in GlobalGiving’s Giving Tuesday campaign on December 2. We hope you’ll join us, through donations, spreading the word, or simply celebrating what we’ve built together.

Your generosity has made everything we do possible. As we navigate these uncertain times, your support means more than ever. Thank you for being part of the Kono Gnaga family and for standing with us in our mission to educate, empower, and inspire through culture.

With gratitude and hope,

Solo Sana and the entire Kono Gnaga Team

Dear Kono Gnaga Friends and Family,

We’re excited to share that the 7th Annual Kono Gnaga Festival in Bamako was a great success! Held at the beginning of the year, it featured the participation of nine partner schools. For three months leading up to the festival, students took part in classes at their schools, culminating in a vibrant community celebration in January. This year also marked the successful expansion of our program to the more rural area of  Ségou, where we partnered with the Mieruba Art Center and two local schools. We were proud to employ local artists to work directly with students, and the program concluded with a second community festival in Ségou.

A new and meaningful initiative we introduced this year was allowing students to select a theme for their performances. Through dance and music, they explored powerful topics like girls' education, sanitation challenges, access to clean water, and juvenile delinquency—using cultural heritage as a tool to tell stories and raise awareness. These messages reached hundreds of people in their communities during the festivals, and we were deeply moved by the students' creativity and leadership.

To better understand our impact, we hired a monitoring and evaluation specialist who led focus groups with students, parents, and community members. One of the most encouraging findings was that parents have noticed increased motivation among their children to attend school as a result of our programming. Even more inspiring, our work is clearly helping to build confidence and empower girls. One student shared: “I’ve become a better student. Before, I didn’t ask questions when I didn’t understand. Now, I ask my teacher without feeling ashamed.”

With girls making up 80% of our participants, it’s clear that Kono Gnaga is helping to break down barriers to education for girls. We couldn’t be prouder of the entire Kono Gnaga team!

As always, thank you for your continued and vital support. You are an essential part of the Kono Gnaga family, and we couldn’t do this work without you.

Peace and blessings,
The Kono Gnaga Team