In 2018, a Chinese company won the contract for the renovation of the Koulouba Palace, the Malian presidential residence. The work begins, but stops immediately because the first pickaxes used do not excavate the stone around Koulouba. The staff first believe it's a small problem; but none of their pickaxes does the job! Finally, the site guard suggests seeing his father who is a blacksmith. In lack of an alternative, the Chinese team therefore orders a pickaxe from the blacksmith. The Chineses test it on the construction site in Koulouba, it works wonderfully. The blacksmith finds himself making more than a hundred pickaxes for the Chinese company which will be used for the renovation work of the Koulouba Presidential Palace.

We are happy to welcome this blacksmith, Moro Kante (85 y.o), this Saturday at Kabakoo as part of our HighdigenousTalks, formerly known as Kabakoo Talks.

The HighdigenousTalks series explores endogenous knowledges and African cultures with guests from different backgrounds and walks of life. We therefore welcome this week Moro Kante, a veteran blacksmith from a family in which the profession has been passed further from generation to generation. He will come and tell us his story, a source of invaluable knowledge and know-how to design and build better today and tomorrow. Because to innovate is to recompose the old and the present to create the new. #FutureOfEducation