Dogon Art and Humanitarian Project in Padua Exhibition

The exhibition 'Padova nel Dogon. Il Dogon a Padova' in Padua, curated by artist Elio Armano, concludes the year of Padua as European Capital of Volunteering. It presents two intertwined narratives: the work of Progetto Dogon Odv, a volunteer association founded in 2005 by Paolo Menè and formalized in 2009 to aid the Dogon people in Mali, and the ancient Dogon culture through sculptures, masks, and objects from the collection of photographer and explorer Umberto Knycz, gathered over six expeditions to the Bandiagara escarpment. The NGO's activities are documented through photographs by Loris Tasin, showcasing projects like the Weré Health Center, school buildings, bridges, distance adoptions, and the '100 Wells for Dogon' initiative, which has created 250 potable water wells serving 150,000 people. These efforts have generated local employment, especially for youth, and helped counter migration and extremist recruitment by Daesh and other terrorist groups in Mali. The exhibition also challenges Western aesthetic perspectives, encouraging viewers to understand Dogon art and culture beyond stereotypes of 'primitive' expression. The Dogon possessed advanced astronomical knowledge of the Sirius star system before scientific discoveries, earning them the name 'children of the stars.' Masks, everyday objects, and statues connect the earthly and ancestral realms. The show is accompanied by a double catalog published by Antiga Edizioni.