Lifelong learning with indigo in Mali: Seeing blue and more with Groupe Bogolan Kasobane

In December 2019, the Institute of Humanities in Bamako initiated conversations with a central figure of artisanal indigo dyeing and artistic creation in Mali, as part of their wider interest in understanding the role of indigo as a pedagogical tool of social transformation, under the Humanities across Borders programme.

Indigo and Biodiversity in Mali: An overview

Rarely has a plant held so a central position in as many civilisations as the Indigofera species. In West Africa, indigo is by far the most important vegetal dye. It plays a key role in different traditional cultures.

Indigo as Critical Pedagogy

In October 2018, a curricula development workshop was conducted at the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA), Taiwan, as part of the IIAS ‘Humanities across Borders: Asia and Africa in the World’ (HaB) programme. The workshop focused on the practice of indigo dye production and its use as critical pedagogy in higher education.

Min-Chin Kay Chiang

The Newsletter 82 Spring 2019

Blue Stories: Day 2 of the Indigo Workshop in Taiwan

Over the course of three days in October, students, craftspeople and researchers explored indigo from a variety of perspectives, as a methodological and pedagogical tool to surpass borders based on territorial, temporal and disciplinary categories in higher education. This methodology workshop, organised by the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) in association with HaB and IIAS, included field visits and hands-on exercises that contextualised the discussions that took place and provided a truly immersive experience.

Blue Stories: Glimpses of the Indigo Workshop in Taiwan, Day 1

Over the course of three days in October, students, craftspeople and researchers explored indigo from a variety of perspectives, as a methodological and pedagogical tool to surpass borders based on territorial, temporal and disciplinary categories in higher education. This methodology workshop, organised by the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) in association with HaB and IIAS, included field visits and hands-on exercises that contextualised the discussions that took place and provided a truly immersive experience.

Snapshots from Taipei: HaB at the Taipei National University of the Arts

In preparation for the HaB Methodology Workshop, Indigo Traditions and Itineraries, which is to take place on 26–27 October, members of the HaB network have arrived in Taiwan. Here are a few snapshots of their first day at TNUA, taken by academic director Aarti Kawlra.

Indigo Liquid Museum: A Student's Account

Seldom do we have the privilege to explore the beauty and hardship of a craftsmanship.