We are very happy to let you all know that Boubacar Gouem, our Kora student, and Oumou Koulsoum Diarra, our guitar teacher at the Ecole de Musique de Kirina, won second and third prize (respectfully) at “Clear Cotton Category in Mali”, a music competition focused this year on the fight against child labor in the cotton and textile industries.
The event took place in Sikasso, Mali and was organized by the International Labour Organization, (ILO), the Jeunesse Musicales International (JMI), the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), the Simon Bolivar Music Foundation “EI Sistema” and many international music figures. Ecole de Musique de Kirina was the competition coordinator after signing a cooperation agreement with the organizers. 13 Malian musicians were candidates and were selected by Ecole de Musique de Kirina, Mali.
The 3 winners were given their award during the celebration of International Children’s Day on Saturday, June 12, 2021, in Sikasso, a Malian city 350 km from Bamako. The winner was Virginie Dembele, a young Malian female singer who has worked with many great Malian musicians such as Salif Keita, Rokia Traore, etc.
Here are some photos of our 3 winners and a video of that very special day for our team:
