Socially reintegrate young people who have left their education, this is what the “Sunu Cossan Sunu Doole” association in the municipality of Dalifort has succeeded in doing. On the sidelines of the 4th edition of the festival of the same name, the association shared its experience. By Amadou MBODJI –
Culture can be a therapy, a means of social reintegration. It is not the association “Sunu Cossan Sunu Doole” which will say the opposite for having had the idea by succeeding in socially reintegrating young people who had broken their ban within the municipality of Dalifort. The 4th edition of the “Sunu Cossan Sunu Doole” Festival served as a forum for the association to share its experience. “We have a project for the social reintegration of young people on the margins of society. Social reintegration does not only concern prisoners, but there are other people who need to be reintegrated. Some who have been traveling for a long time and who, once they return, have lost their cultural references, we help them find these references. This is why we said to ourselves why not set up this social reintegration and cultural education project,” says Fallou Mendy, communications manager for the “Sunu Cossan Sunu Doole” association (our culture, our strength). in French). The 4th edition of the festival of the same name that the association organized, and which closed on December 31 at the esplanade of the town of Dalifort, after 72 hours of cultural events, was the moment to highlight this initiative. These young people on the margins of society were trained in cultural professions to divert them from the trajectory they had taken and which explains why they are in contradiction with their community. “The association succeeded in reintegrating nine people who lived on the margins of society. Their way of life did not please their families and the population, we managed to reintegrate them socially, by training them in professions such as dance and to be percussionists,” continues Fallou Mendy. Comments corroborated by the Secretary General of the association. “Today, we are delighted. We recovered quite a few young people who were engaging in unhealthy practices, but we got them back,” declares Jean-Marie Diatta, secretary of the “Sunu Cossan Sunu Doole” association. The association also says it has succeeded in convincing young people to turn away from irregular emigration by raising their awareness to tell them that they can travel through legal channels. The artists who performed at the inauguration of the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium came from the town of Dalifort, according to the organizers who are delighted with the impact that this project has on young people.
Alassane Diallo, president of the association, emphasizes that the name of the association reflects the strength contained in culture. “The name of our association reflects that our strength is culture, and even if we reverse the name of our association, this amounts to saying that culture is our strength,” admits Alassane Diallo. Organized for four years, the festival is also a way to promote the expertise of Dalifort artisans who have displayed their knowledge through an exhibition on the town’s esplanade. Organized for 72 hours, in partnership with the town hall of the town, the 4th edition of the “Sunu Cossan Sunu Doole” festival, closed on December 31, saw a show held with the performance of artists from the town.
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