Les Voix de Bamako — International Women's Festival
Les Voix de Bamako is an international women's festival founded in 2008, held every January at the Palais de la Culture Amadou Hampâté Bâ in Bamako.
**Les Voix de Bamako** is an international cultural festival entirely devoted to women's role in African creative and cultural heritage — a festival designed "by Women, for Women, and with Women."
## A festival born in 2008
The festival was founded in **February 2008** in Bamako, on the initiative of a collective of artists gathered under the **Kolomba** association, led by Malian singer **Fantani Touré**. Since its founding, it has carried the sponsorship of Mali's Ministry of Culture and a partnership with the Ministry of Handicrafts and Tourism.
## An annual January gathering at the Palais de la Culture
The event is held every **January** at the **Palais de la Culture Amadou Hampâté Bâ**, Mali's main national center for the performing arts, located in the Badalabougou neighborhood of Bamako. The program highlights traditional values and customs from across the African continent through concerts, performances, and gatherings featuring Malian and international women artists.
## A well-established yearly rhythm
Since its founding in 2008, the festival has run several consecutive editions, always in January — the 7th edition, for instance, took place from January 16 to 19. The exact date of the next edition could not be confirmed with certainty at the time of writing, so it should be verified with the organizers (the Kolomba association) or Malian cultural press before planning any travel. What can be stated with confidence is the event's annual recurrence in the first half of January.
Sources: [Wikipedia — Les Voix de Bamako](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Voix_de_Bamako), [Africultures — Les Voix de Bamako, Festival international au féminin](https://africultures.com/evenementsrecurrents/?no=2064), [Maliweb — Festival international au féminin, 7th edition](https://www.maliweb.net/art-culture/festival-international-au-feminin-les-voix-de-bamako-la-7eme-edition-se-tiendra-du-16-au-19-janvier-189756.html), [Wikipedia — Palais de la Culture Amadou Hampâté Ba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_la_Culture_Amadou_Hampat%C3%A9_Ba)