Isaak Traoré

Personal info

Name:

Isaak Traoré

Age:

25 (2011)

Nationality:

Malian

Profession:

Metal worker, artist

Country, city:

Mali, Bamako

Describe your background, your interest in development, your affiliation with NGOs, etc.

I am in charge of communication of the Mali branch of the African Movement for Working Children and Youth (AMWCY) www.maejt.org This movement was created in 1996 in Bouake in Cote d'Ivoire by members from six countries. Today it is active in 22 African countries. Its goal is to improve the living conditions of working children and youth, and to promote its twelve children's rights. We are backed by the organisation ENDA MALI and we have cooperation also with FCI Mali, UNICEF Mali, Plan Mali, BIT Mali, CONAFE, and COMADE.

How did you first get in touch with World Comics and grassroots comics?

In 2006, the AMWCY organized a grassroots comics training workshop in Cotonou in Benin. I represented AMWCY Mali, and Leif Packalen (World Comics Finland) and Sharad Sharma (World Comics India) were our facilitators in Benin. So I came to know about the organisation through this comics training workshop.

What are your experiences of grassroots comics? Do you plan to use grassroots comics in your future activities?

Since 2006 until today I have made comics on our activities to promote the twelve children’s rights of AMWCY.

I participate with comics in the AMWCY journal and I have attended every two years their media workshops. I have been a trainer at comics workshops in Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Mali in 2010. The comics we make are about our activities for realizing our twelve rights, our mission, and the visions of AMWCY. We want to explain to children and others, to authorities, people ... to everybody, what we do.

I definitively want to use comics in my future activities and I also have my private drawing workshop, with two children who work with me.

It would be nice if you could bring up some aspects that you think are important from your own perspective.

I believe comics are good for communication, especially to the world's illiterates. The comics also improve our reports, because they attract people to have a closer look.

It is hard work but great fun. I can say that the drawing is what makes the comic. Even before God built the world he had made a plan.

Drawing is very important to me, and for some time now, I have been working on making drawings about the Kingdoms of Mali.

Contact information

Isaak’s comic below is about the AEJT’s monthly campaign meetings.

World Comics Finland