Ankata (Let's go, in Dioula)

Serge Aimé Coulibaly is collecting donations for the expansion of the ANKATA choreographic center in Bobo Dioulasso. Coulibaly has been associated with the Münchner Kammerspiele as an associate artist for several seasons. He began his career with Alain Platel 20 years ago in Brussels and has since worked as a choreographer in Brussels and in Bobo Dioulasso, his home town in Burkina Faso.

There, in Bobo Dioulasso, he has founded ANKATA, a very special rehearsal and performance center that provides training for young dancers and artists and is also open to the neighborhood. The entire project was created with his own funds and those of private donors. Serge Aimé is now raising funds for the final construction phase.

“I was born in a developing country, Burkina Faso, the land of the ‘upright people’, in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. My name is Serge Aimé Coulibaly.

As a dancer and choreographer, I have been lucky enough to travel all over the planet and the company I founded, Faso Danse Théâtre, now enjoys an international reputation.

How can I promote and develop my country through gratitude and inventiveness, how can I enable new and young African artists to make their own way by giving them access to an international network and letting them benefit from my experience?

The Ankata (Dioula: “Allons-y”) project, an international laboratory for research, creation and production of stage arts, was launched in 2011 in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

Starting modestly in the backyard of my house, my team and I have managed over the past thirteen years, through ambitious and courageous work, to create an artistically and financially independent organization that offers young artists a comprehensive three-year training and organizes a pan-African choreography competition for soloists every two years: “Africa Simply the best”.

For several years, I used all my royalties and most of my income to run and build Ankata

However, in order to become a reference for culture in Africa, Ankata needs your support. Every donation counts. Thanks to a large initial investment, the foundations have been laid, the administrative offices are being built and the first dressing rooms are beginning to appear.

Today, our goal is to reach €75,000 in order to:

• Provide the artists in residence with a roof over their heads.
• Set up equipped rehearsal rooms.
• Create a friendly and stimulating place.
• Organize events to promote Burkinabe culture internationally.

Let’s get started together and the doors of Ankata will open in the summer of 2025.

You can donate HERE via Gofund.

Larger amounts can also be transferred directly to ANKATA. My team can be reached at ankata.espace@gmail.com.”

HERE is the website of the project.