About
Who are the Malika Monkeys? They’re a group of young Senegalese men and boys working in our/their shop as artisans building African percussion. Currently the workers are: Aziz, Jugena, Abdoulaye, Gilbert, Ibrahima, Veer, Djibi, Alpha, Moodu, Kemo and Abdu. We hire Laobe’s (a specific tribe here who are highly skilled at carving) to sculpt the drum shells from African hardwood logs. Then the Malika Monkeys do the rest of the work for assembling the drums: welding, fitting, and wrapping the rings; scraping and preparing the skins for the heads; sanding the shells; mixing and applying tints, beeswax, and palm oil; stringing and tightening the drums, etc.
In addition to the drum shop we have started new areas of expertise: metal work, fine woodworking, sewing and small engine repair.
Where are they located? The shop is located in the village of Malika in Senegal, West Africa. Most of the guys are from the village and surrounding area.
What’s the Purpose?
A) Working–
1) to produce and outstanding product
2) to alleviate their poverty and provide for their families
3) to help their community
B) Learning–
1) teach them a trade
2) further their education–most of these guys don’t read or write, so two days a week a tutor comes in to teach basic reading and math.
3) to teach them to work together as a team and to help overcome the significant barriers of prejudice, especially in the realms of ethnicity and religion
C) Playing–to enjoy eachother and the wonderful world God has given us. For example, we go fishing, play volleyball in the evenings, or head to the beach for some sand soccer.
D) Knowing– this is a fatalistic society, very much lacking in hope; this enterprise is engendering the knowledge that they can rise above their poverty and accomplish something great.
How does the shop/enterprise work? Malika Monkeys is totally funded by their sales. However, they do receive donations for equipment, tools, books, teachers, and food.
Dany Bode, Shop Director in Colorado
Scotty and Crystal Kelley, Volunteers in Senegal
US Repair Info:
Dany Bode