The Association for the Safeguarding of Masks (ASAMA) organized a press conference on Tuesday April 16, 2024 in Dédougou, on the organization of the 16th edition of the International Festival of Masks and the Arts (FESTIMA), scheduled from April 18 to 25, 2024 in Dédougou under the theme: 'Mask, culture and resilience'. The 16th edition of the international festival of masks and arts (FESTIMA) will take place in Dédougou from April 18 to 25, 2024. The announcement was made to the press during a conference moderated by the Executive Secretary of the Association for the Safeguarding of Masks (ASAMA), Dr Léonce Ki, surrounded by members of the organizing committee. This so-called resilience edition comes after the missed meeting of 2022 due to the security and humanitarian situation which prevails in the Boucle du Mouhoun region. For Dr Léonce Ki, the 16th edition of FESTIMA will see the participation of 27 mask companies from within the country. 'Given the context of austerity, the 2024 edition of FESTIMA is an edition of resilience in a reduced format. For this edition, the focus is solely on Burkinabè mask companies,' he explained. Due to budgetary constraints, this edition of FESTIMA will have two phases. The first phase, running from Thursday April 18 to Sunday April 21, 2024, will be marked by the provision of fiber masks in the mornings, the provision of sheet masks in the afternoon and the provision of fabric masks at night. The second phase which covers the rest of the period will be devoted to the communities market. The conference leaders announced that the festival budget amounts to more than 30 million CFA francs, unlike past editions which mobilized more than 100 million CFA francs. Given the context of austerity, families were asked to contribute to hosting mask companies during the festival, to avoid disrupting the school calendar by suspending classes in order to use classrooms for their accommodation. . FESTIMA was created in 1996 in response to the problem of the threats weighing on the communities holding masks, under the effect of modernity and the influence of revealed religions resulting in the neglect and abandonment of rites and traditional knowledge. This festival reflects the cultural and identity values, traditions and beliefs of the masked societies of the sub-region. Organized by ASAMA, FESTIMA is a socio-cultural activity which highlights a part of the cultural heritage of our society through masks. Its aim is to contribute to the preservation of the African mask. It is held every 2 years in even years. Source: Burkina Information Agency
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