by Dionne Roberts

Collection ethnographique de José de Guimarães. Source: Wikimedia Commons

As an undergraduate student at a small liberal arts college in the early 1990’s, I had the good fortune to sign up for an introductory prerequisite course in Art History. I have to admit, I was an excellent student, and it was obvious the professor was impressed by my photographic memory and attention to detail. I could easily identify all the classical European art movements such as Byzantine, Baroque, Renaissance, and Impressionism to name a few.

Halfway through the course the professor introduced a new subject: The art of Africa, Oceana and the Americas. I was absolutely enthralled and mesmerized. It was entirely different from the weeks of studying Western art and I was immediately drawn to the symbolism and visual language of the Dogon Art of Mali.

What is Dogon Art?

Dogon art goes back several centuries, originating in Mali in the region known as the Bandiagara Cliffs. It is an area where the Dogon tribe found safety and the ability to develop their unique artistry. They are also known for their knowledge of astronomy, architecture and sculpture, which is demonstrated in their artwork.

Characteristics of Dogon Art

Dogon Art is an abstract and symbolic style characterized by human and animal forms that showcase a sense of mystery and spirituality. Dogon art is created mainly with the use of wood, stone and bronze materials. 

• Dogon Masks usually made of wood are used in sacred and ritualistic ceremonies with each mask serving a unique purpose. It is believed to assist in communication with the ancestral spirit world.

• Dogon Sculpture often represents human and animal figures. An example is a sculpture of a man holding a snake which could indicate knowledge and wisdom.

Masque Dogon and John Odale. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Meaning and Symbolism

Dogon art is deeply rooted in Malian culture and embodies their fundamental beliefs. The imagery used in Dogon sculptures and masks is rooted in their religious and spiritual traditions. Every shape, symbol and design serves a specific function and meaning. The traditional religion of the Dogon is animist which means they practice nature-based spiritualism and ancestor worship.

An example of the animist belief system is the crocodile that is part of the Dogon origin story.  Their belief is that they arrived on Earth from the star Sirius in a crocodile.

The Dogon people and their culture have remained one of the most unspoiled and authentic on the African continent due to their isolation. This seclusion allowed them to resist conquest first by Muslims and then French invaders. 

The rich culture of the Dogon of Mali has influenced Western modernism and been a lifelong source of inspiration for avant-garde artists and post-impressionist painters. This brings me back to my art history class during my undergraduate studies over 30 years ago. I never imagined I would be a volunteer with an incredible organization like Wells Bring Hope writing a blog post about a small African tribe that lives on in my heart, mind and spirit.

Sources

National Museum of African Art – Visionary Viewpoints on Africa’s Arts: Visionary Artists | National Museum of African Art

African Carts Gallery – https://www.african-arts-gallery.com/african-art/ethnie-Dogon

How Dogon Art Inspired Western Artists – https://www.barnebys.com/blog/how-dogon-art-inspired-western-artists

by Manvitha Prasad Kathula

When people think about West African history, they often picture powerful rulers, large empires, and busy trade routes. But another important part of the story is the role women have played in keeping communities and traditions alive. For centuries, women have passed down knowledge, taught important skills, and helped families adapt to changing conditions. From the Mali Empire to modern-day Niger, their contributions have helped preserve culture and strengthen communities.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

One example comes from the Mali Empire, one of the most influential kingdoms in West African history. Women known as jelimusow, or female griots, were responsible for preserving and sharing knowledge within their communities. While male griots often focused on telling stories about rulers and major historical events, female griots played important roles in ceremonies, sang praise songs, helped settle disputes, and remembered the histories of families. Their knowledge was usually taught from one generation of women to the next, allowing traditions to continue over time. The presence of female griots shows that women held respected positions in many areas of Mande society.

Women have also helped preserve culture through traditional arts and crafts. In Mali, Bambara women are known for creating bogolanfini, often called mud cloth. Using natural materials such as mud and plant-based dyes, they create fabrics covered with meaningful patterns and symbols. These designs can reflect cultural beliefs, local traditions, and community values. By teaching these techniques to younger generations, women help keep both artistic skills and cultural knowledge alive. Similar traditions exist across Africa, where women pass down weaving, pottery, beadwork, and dyeing techniques within their families and communities.

Bogolan Mali mud cloth. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The important role of women continues today among the Tuareg and Wodaabe peoples of the Sahel region. In many Tuareg communities, family identity is traditionally connected to the mother’s side of the family. Since men may spend long periods traveling with livestock or working away from home, women often take responsibility for managing households and caring for family members. They help organize daily life, raise children, maintain relationships between relatives, and pass cultural traditions on to younger generations. Their work is essential to the stability of their communities.

In Niger, women face additional challenges because of poverty, climate change, and limited economic opportunities. As environmental conditions become more difficult and jobs remain scarce, many men leave their villages to look for work elsewhere. This often leaves women responsible for caring for their families and managing resources during long periods the men of the family are away. In many cases, they also play a major role in supporting local economies.

To deal with these challenges, many women have joined cooperatives and community groups. These organizations allow women to work together, earn income, improve food security, and support one another. They provide practical solutions to everyday problems while helping communities remain strong during difficult times. Through these groups, women continue their long tradition of leadership and community involvement.

1. Bambara_Girl. 2. Tuareg woman from Mali. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Organizations such as Wells Bring Hope have also worked to improve daily life for women in Niger by helping communities gain access to safe water sources. When women and girls no longer need to spend hours collecting water, they have more time for school, work, and other activities. Access to clean water can improve health, increase educational opportunities, and create new ways for women to earn income and support their families, especially important when communities are poor and men are gone for long periods.

Looking across West African history, a clear pattern emerges. Women have played an important role in preserving traditions while helping communities adapt to change. Whether sharing stories as female griots, teaching traditional crafts, managing households, or leading community groups, they have helped pass knowledge and values from one generation to the next. Their contributions show that history is shaped not only by rulers and major events but also by the everyday efforts of people who keep communities connected and traditions alive.

Sources

https://redshoemovement.com/wellbeing-for-women-and-the-importance-of-maintaining-the-cultural-heritage-of-nigerien-nomads/

https://medium.com/islamic-reunion-of-thoughts-irot/mali-empires-women-female-power-and-the-islamic-governance-of-sub-saharan-africa-13th-14th-8920bc3f025c

https://www.teniandtayo.com/post/celebrating-the-matriarchs-the-role-of-women-in-african-craft-traditions?srsltid=AfmBOopKKjzz8lZysfuyAFRAcL72k2Y_mMC4S6D1Bjtw53TfZwNxUDuv

https://www.wfp.org/stories/nigers-men-emigrate-women-work-outwit-changing-climate

Source: WBH

Every morning, before the sun fully rises, millions of women and girls pick up a jerrycan and walk. Some walk two miles. Some walk five. Some walk farther still. Not for exercise. Not by choice. But because the nearest water source: a stream, a borehole, a communal tap is the only option they have. And increasingly, because of climate change, even that source is drying up, flooding over, or becoming too unsafe to drink.

People living in rural areas of Niger and Mali have noticed that the rains come later than they used to, that the river’s flow dwindles each dry season, and that shallow boreholes sometimes run out in March instead of June. What they are experiencing is one of the most urgent and underdiscussed consequences of climate change: the reshaping of water access in rural areas, and the way it falls hardest on women, girls, and young children.

Understanding How Climate Change Is Reshaping Water Access

Climate change does not affect everyone the same way. In cities, governments invest in water infrastructure, storage tanks, and backup systems. In rural areas, communities often depend on rainfall, natural rivers, underground aquifers, and boreholes that were dug based on rainfall patterns that no longer hold.

Rainfall Is Becoming Unpredictable and Uneven

Across sub-Saharan Africa, annual rainfall totals have not necessarily dropped dramatically, but the pattern has shifted. Rains arrive late, stop suddenly, and become more intense when they do fall. This creates two problems at once: drought in the dry months because water was not stored properly, and flooding in the wet months that contaminates the little water that is available.

The world is not simply getting drier. It is getting less predictable, and unpredictability is more dangerous for rural communities than drought alone.

Groundwater Is Being Depleted Faster Than It Is Replenished

According to the United Nations, in 2022, 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safely managed drinking water.

In rural areas, the majority of households depend on groundwater wells, boreholes, and hand pumps for their daily needs. As droughts become longer and more frequent, communities pump more from these underground reserves than rainfall can replace. The water table drops. Boreholes that once hit water at 20 meters now require drilling to 40 or 60 meters. Communities that cannot afford deeper drilling simply go without.

Surface Water Is Shrinking and Becoming More Contaminated

Rivers, streams, and lakes that rural communities have depended on for generations are visibly shrinking. In Kenya’s Turkana region, Lake Turkana  which supports hundreds of thousands of people has experienced significant fluctuations linked to reduced rainfall. The Niger Basin has been severely affected by recurrent droughts, with flow reductions of up to 40% recorded at monitoring stations along the river and its tributaries, affecting millions across Niger and Mali who depend on it for drinking water and farming.

At the same time, flooding washes animal waste, agricultural chemicals, and human waste into water sources, causing spikes in waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, and dysentery that kill children under five at terrifying rates.

Seasonal Wells Are Drying Up Earlier Each Year

Communities that once depended on seasonal water points until June or July are finding those sources empty by March or April. This forces longer daily walks during the hottest and driest part of the year exactly when the body needs more water, and exactly when the most dangerous diseases spread.

How Wells Bring Hope Helps

Unlike shallow wells that tap seasonal water sources, Wells Bring Hope drills deep wells that reach underground water reserves that remain available even during the driest months of the year. This approach gives rural communities in Niger and Mali a reliable, year-round source of clean water that seasonal boreholes and surface water cannot provide. When communities have consistent access to clean water, women and girls spend less time walking for water, children are healthier, and families can focus on building their lives rather than constantly searching for adequate supplies of safe water.

Sources

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme — https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/water-sanitation-and-health/monitoring-and-evidence/wash-monitoring

Niger River flow reduction — https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02626667.2014.916407#d1e203

Photo credit – https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=climate+change+&title=Special%3AMediaSearch