Lila was selected by the Center for African Studies as a FLAS Fellow to continue advanced study of Bamanankan/Julakan, summer 2024 and academic year 2024-25. 

Additional accomplishments:

At the beginning of this year Lila was invited to participate and present in the workshop “Tensions globales et dynamiques de création en Afrique de l’Ouest” (“Global tensions and creative dynamics in West Africa") hosted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 8-13 2024 by the University of Ouagadougou Joseph Ki-Zerbo (BF), Point Sud (Ge), Association MbOmen (BF), Goethe Institut (BF), CDC La Termitière (BF), Université Côte d’Azur (Fr) and l’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Fr). The workshop brought together an international cohort of scholars and researchers in the humanities and social sciences, artists, and actors engaged in the development of contemporary dance. Lila intervened virtually in the round table "Quels modèles économiques pour la danse contemporaine en Afrique ?” (“What economic models for contemporary dance in Africa?”), bringing elements of my dissertation research in Burkina Faso to bear on the question. 

Also in January, Lila collaborated with Hamadou Traoré, a storyteller, marionettist and cultural administrator, to launch the second year of “Education Autour de la Culture” (“Education Centered on Culture”), the cultural arts education project that they co-organize at a public elementary school in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. The project simultaneously provides top-quality cultural education in endogenous arts to 100 elementary and middle school students, practice-based training in pedagogy for six young professional performing artists, and an intensive internship in cultural administration and project management for two university students. They additionally organize sponsorship of the school fees and materials for a number of students in need: this year the 27 sponsored children are participating in the workshops and final performance. Gender equity, social responsibility, inclusion and attention to the particularities of each child are central operating values we try our best to realize through this project. More information is available on their Facebook page.