Igo Lassana Diarra is part of the new generation of African cultural operators proactively promoting the arts and culture in Mali, Africa, and beyond. Diarra is chairman of the Summer University of Bamako and recently opened ‘La Médina’, a gallery and multimedia library. Diarra holds a Master’s degree in artistic and cultural production; his work in the cultural sector spans disciplines. He founded the publisher Editions Balani’s, which specializes in young people’s literature (story books and comic books) and initiated the international festival of children’s literature in Bamako, ‘Kanla kadi’. Diarra also edited ‘Ciwara’, a cultural entrepreneurship game, and produces cultural events, such as Thursday’s music sessions at the National Museum of Mali, culture classes at the Palace of Culture in Bamako, and several major concerts in Mali and abroad. Since 2001 he has designed several innovative projects for the African Photography Encounters (street exhibitions, the anthem of African photography, and a symposium on borders).
