The restoration of the Tellem monument in Yougho makes very good progress. It is fantastic that we have received a part of the funding via the Emergency Programme of the Prince Claus Fund. The first preparations of the real work have already started in December 2013. From January 2014 on the collection of clay has begun. The old dam on the road to Yougho Piri has been heightened. On a new site work on a new dam has started.
Restauration Yougo – Update june 2014 from stichting dogon onderwijs on Vimeo.
Meanwhile, during my visit in April 2014 some sixty persons worked in several teams. Two teams worked on two parts of the monument. A pair of older and more experienced masons joined by youngsters prepares the material to be processed. A group of women and men looks down below for water, necessary wood and additional material for clay. This implies a walk of 45 minutes upwards! A team of 12 youngsters coming from the nearby situated Yougho Na, is busy to empty the new basin of about 1.200 m3 high on the mountain. End May 2014 a very large part of the work had been finished already. Two pieces have been left over to be dealt with. We hope that these will be terminated before the rainy season.
Meanwhile the project has been visited by the Aga Khan Foundation and by the Mission Culturelle in Bandiagara and their reports are enthusiastic. At the same time we have received intermediary reports and pictures. Next month we will send a first report to the Prince Claus Fund. In order to prevent that everyone must wait too longue, we hereby present already splendid images. Aside from the images, we hope that the efforts presented here will inspire you, and that these will clarify what the community is capable of. We also hope this will be the first impulse to a follow up. In autumn a more extensive publication will appear. At the beginning of the coming year (2015) we would like to organise a small debate and an exhibition, and we aim to bring to the attention our results and some topics related to the UNESCO heritage site as well as some issues referring to the empowerment of the community.
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