ZéméBa, the Canoe of Rebirth

Bamako, June 21, 2025 — Palais de la Culture

June 21, 2023: the fire.
June 21, 2025: the light.

Exactly two years after the attack that ravaged the Zémé Canoe and reduced a floating dream to ashes, the canoe ZéméBa was born — carried by resilience, memory, and collective strength.

From Ashes to Living Waters

This date will remain etched in memory: on June 21, 2023, along the road to Mopti, an armed group set fire to the Zémé. Three crew members were kidnapped, silenced for four months. That day, a project of unity, art, and encounters went up in flames.

But that day also marked the beginning of a new story.

On June 21, 2025, ZéméBa, a new motorized canoe conceived as a floating artistic platform, was inaugurated on the banks of the Palais de la Culture in Bamako, in the presence of artists, citizens, former witnesses of the tragedy, and new dreamers.

A Space for Creation, Memory, and Hope

Conceived by Don Sen Folo – LAB, implemented by the Founoufounou Federation, and funded by the European Union in Mali, ZéméBa is much more than a cultural project. It is a living manifesto — an act of poetic and political sovereignty.

“Today, ZéméBa is alive, sheltered within the walls of the Palais de la Culture.”

It is a place where artistic disciplines converge constantly, where artists work, exchange, transmit — where memory converses with the future.

Already in Action: A Living Canoe Before the Inauguration

Even before its official inauguration on June 21, 2025, the ZéméBa had already come to life. Several activities were hosted aboard, confirming its vocation as a moving artistic platform:

Anw Jigi ART Residency: the troupe took over the canoe to develop the play Ils en Elles, written by Abdoulbaky Touré and directed by Assitan Tangara.
“Gninfin-Sorofin” Training Cycle: two free training sessions for independent artists, led by Agnès Quillet:
- June 11, 2025: how to identify, choose, and apply for an artist residency.
- June 18, 2025: how to write an artistic CV and bio for project applications.

These early activities show a project that is already active, already inhabited, and confirm that ZéméBa is both a workspace and a symbol.

They Made ZéméBa

This rebirth would not have been possible without the hands, voices, and thoughts of many contributors:

Cheick Diallo and his artisans, builders of this floating masterpiece.
Bakary Koné, keeper of memory through the Journal of the Zémé.
Salia Malé and Modibo Traoré, thinkers of the canoe’s role.
Bourama Konta, survivor and witness of the 2023 attack.
The Founoufounou Federation, weavers of human and cultural alliances.
And of course, the European Union in Mali, main partner of the project.

May the River Carry Our Dreams Further

Through ZéméBa, the waters of the Niger River become a path of memory, creation, and reconstruction. This canoe is a response to violence through culture — a Malian, collective, and determined response.

“Thank you.
Because without you, this rebirth would not have happened.”

Technical Specifications

Name: ZéméBa (from Zémé, “the road”, and Ba, “the river”)
Function: Motorized canoe / floating artistic platform
Location: Banks of the Palais de la Culture, Bamako
Initiative: Don Sen Folo – LAB
Implementation: Founoufounou Federation
Funding: European Union in Mali
Support: Palais de la Culture of Bamako

ZéméBa Awaits You

ZéméBa is just beginning its journey.
A journey through arts, rivers, and peoples.
A journey that says this:
The dream was wounded, but it did not sink.
It moves forward, with you.