Cheick Siby with one of the AAAA Textile Totems | Picture Birgitta de Vos
Cheick Siby is one of the skilled artisans we worked with in Segou, where we created, under the supervision and with the support of Haram Sidibe a new label called AAAA (Ateliers Autodidacts Anti-Alghorithms).
We selected the Bogolan, a traditional textile art in Mali, and started from here to create a contemporary line of design and art products. The Bogolan connects the makers, not only to their land and past, but also, to their future, and with AAAA it gives them unlimited possibilities in the present.
Creating a Bogolan is a labor-intensive cooperation between people and place. All stages of the making of the AAAA Bogolans are done by hand. From picking the cotton, spinning, weaving, dyeing and hand painting.
Making a Bogolan is a true slow art process and product. With a minimal of means they create products that speak the language of the soul.
Atelier Autodidacts Anti-Algorithms (AAAA) is initially brought together and supported by the United Nations, the EU and the government of Mali.
You can find more info about AAAA, the products and their way of working on their Instagram account @AAAACOOP or online here.