Among the Dogon people of Mali's Bandiagara Escarpment, death is not an end but a transition that requires careful ritual management. The dama is the central funerary ceremony through which this transition is accomplished [1]. Held months or even years after a preliminary burial, dama brings together masked dancers, elaborate costumes, and community-wide participation to guide the soul of the deceased out of the village and into the ancestral realm [3]. While often associated with the towering sirige masks seen in photographs, dama is a complex, multi-day event whose timing, scale, and form vary considerably across Dogon communities [6].

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O ra fɛɛrɛ jumɛn dun bɛ se ka kɛ, wasa kalandenw ka kalansa san ɲumɛn sɔrɔ. Jatɛminɛn dɔw y’a jira, ko kalanden ka dongo-dogon taali kalanso, ka kalanfaw lamɛn kalansow kɔnɔ, k’u lafijɛbɔ waati boloda cogo ɲuman na ani k’u janto fana u farikolo nin u hakili la, faana ye nafa baye, kalan san ɲuman soroli la… Bi kalanso sirakan babu ye tali kɛ o de kan. 

The Sahara is one of the most dynamic zones of interaction in human history.

The episode explores the cultural history and astronomical knowledge of the Dogon people regarding the Sirius star system.

Evening will feature storytelling, music and more