Ki-Yi Mbock Troupe representations in International Festivals and Colloquia

Michelle Mielly, PhD candidate, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

Europe

Asia

The Amerucas

"The Ki-Yi Group has proven over a seventeen-year period that African arts and cultures can function as a factor of true education, of social integration, of solutions to problems of gender and unity, as well as providing a source of valorized economic opportunities for a fast-changing developing society." -- Gerly Ngo Njock, Public Relations and Communications Director, Village Ki-Yi

"With arts and culture as its base, the Ki-Yi has proven that its training and educational offerings are indisputable elements for an alternative form of social and economic development, with the human placed at the center. The proof is that all of the young people who perform now in the Ki-Yi troupe arrived in the village without any artistic credentials. A major part of these young people were on the edge of juvenile delinquency, whereas others were absolutely illiterate. The village Ki-Yi centers its goals on creating�through its own activities�a progressive means for financial autonomy for its own operation, production, and the living expenses of its members. Our actions prove that culture can enable true development if, like any other economic activity, it is backed by adequate funding from the outset and managed with intelligence and rigor." -- Werewere Liking

Postcolonial Web Africa Werewere Liking

Last modified 15 November 2002