Researcher, administrative director of Arts and Culture and audiovisual director from Mali. Mamadou Samaké trained at Institut National des Arts (INA) du Mali (National Institute of Arts, Mali) and did a graduate degree from the Université du Mali from 2002-2006. He has participated or presented in many workshops, residencies and festivals on puppetry, film, and other topics nationally and internationally and worked to inform people on the richness of Mali’s performance traditions. His research on puppetry began in 1983 at Musée National (National Museum) in Bamako. In 1999, he did research on the puppetry of Mali and world puppetry at the Centre de Documentation of the Institut International de la Marionnette (IIM) in Charleville-Mézières, France, and again in 2013, furthering his background in world puppetry and focusing on African puppetry in general. He has published extensively on African puppetry, presented nationally and internationally, organized or presented at conferences and educational institutions, and produced or consulted for films on puppet traditions. In addition to many articles, his film works are “Les manifestations du ‘DO’ de Jarabugu” (The Events of the “DO” of Jarabugu, 1986), “Les manifestations septennales du Korè à Beleko” (The Septennial Events of the Korè of Beleko, 1988) on ritual puppets, and “Les marionnettes du Mali” (Puppets of Mali, 1993), the last a Belgium-Mali coproduction for which Samaké was location consultant and scientific advisor.

Mamadou Samaké was the founding president of UNIMA-Mali in 1999, and has served as the national representative as well as being a member of UNIMA’s Publication and Communication Commission. He was the president of the UNIMA International Africa Commission (2008-2012). He edited the cultural review of UNIMA-Africa 2008-2012 (Revue Culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni) and helped organize the exhibit on puppet theatres of Mali at TOPIC in Tolosa, Spain, in 2009. He has served as a conduit of information and international understanding of the richness of African puppet theatre and its cultural and social significance, is author of the World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts entry on Mali, and has made many other contributions.

(See Mali.)

Bibliography

  • “Adama Bacco, une marionnettiste Togolaise” [Adama Bacco, a Togolese Puppeteer]. Revue Culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni. No. 4. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2012.
  • “Danaye Kalanfei, un monument du théâtre de marionnettes africain [Danaye Kalanfei, A Monumental Figure in African Puppetry]. Revue culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni. No. 2. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2009.
  • “De la marionnette pour les droits de l’Enfant” [Puppetry for Children’s Rights]. Bulletin Commission Publication. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2001.
  • “Des marionnettes pour le football” [Puppets for Football]. E pur si muove – Marionnette d’aujourd’hui [And Yet it Moves – Puppetry Today]. UNIMA Magazine, No. 001. Charleville-Mézières: L’Entretemps, 2002.
  • “Du Sogobò pour attirer les touristes à Diabolo, Djenné, Mali” [From Sogobò to Attract Tourists to Diabolo, Djenné, Mali]. Revue Culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni. No. 3. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2010.
  • “Inauguration du TOPIC à Tolosa” [Inauguration of TOPIC in Tolosa]. Revue Culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni. No. 3. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2010.
  • “Janni Younge la Sud-Africaine bouleverse l’ordre!” [Janni Younge, the South African Upsets the Order!]. Revue Culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni. No. 3. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2010.
  • “Jeux de masques à Sokonafing” [Masked Performances of Sokanafing]. Jamana: Revue culturelle Malienne [Malian Cultural Review]. No. 7. Bamako: Éditions Jamana, 1985. Revised and published as “Souvenirs mythiques” [Mythical Memories, on the puppets of Sokonafing, Mali]. In Revue UNIMA-France. Nos. 23-24. Paris, 1990.
  • “Le Cameroun à l’honneur avec deux festivals de marionnettes” [Cameroon Is Honoured with Two Puppet Festivals]. Revue Culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni. No. 4. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2012.
  • “Le théâtre de Marionnettes au Mali, du Traditionnel au Moderne” [The Puppet Theatre in Mali, from Traditional to Modern]. Revised and published as “Mali” article in Encyclopédie Mondiale des Arts et de la Marionnette [World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts]. Paris: L’Entretemps, 2009.
  • “Les Journées de la Marionnette de Bamako: un festival qui s’implante non sans difficultés” [Bamako Puppet Days: A Festival Established Not Without Some Difficulties]. Bulletin du Secrétariat Général. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2003.
  • “Sangemò, la pêche rituelle dans la marre sacrée de San” [Sangemò, Fishing Ritual in the Sacred Pond of the San]. Jamana: Revue culturelle Malienne. No. 12. Bamako: Éditions Jamana, 1987.
  • “Une collaboration Mali-Afrique du Sud” [A Mali-South Africa Collaboration]. Bulletin Commission Publication. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2001.
  • “Une Exposition sur les marionnettes traditionnelles du Mali” [An Exhibition of Traditional Puppets from Mali]. E pur si muove – Marionnette d’aujourd’hui [And Yet it Moves – Puppetry Today]. UNIMA Magazine, No. 04. Charleville-Mézières: L’Entretemps, 2005.
  • “Une série de formations de marionnettistes en Afrique (Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali)” [A Series on Training of Puppeteers in Africa (Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali)]. Revue Culturelle Unima-Afriki-Kunafoni. No. 4. Charleville-Mézières: UNIMA, 2012.
  • “Les manifestations du ‘DO’ de Jarabugu” [The Events of the “DO” of Jarabugu; ethnographic film on the traditional puppets of Mali, 20 minutes]. Production Musée National du Mali, 1986.
  • “Les manifestations septennales du Korè à Beleko” [The Septennial Events of the Korè of Beleko; ethnographic film on ritual puppets of Mali, 30 minutes). Production Musée National du Mali, 1988.
  • “Les marionnettes du Mali” [Puppets of Mali; ethnographic film, 58 minutes]. Coproduction “Cultures & Communications (Belgique) et Musée National du Mali”, 1993. (Consultant)