A German artist's dying wish: arts and education in Burkina Faso

Before his death on August 21, 2010, German artist and director Christoph Schlingensief choose this plot of land in Ziniaré, Burkina Faso, to build his so-called Opera Village. He wanted to bring not only music, but also humanitarian aid to the African countryside. Teachers and medical personnel already live here, and 300 children now go to the school in the village.

Nouhourou und Françoise attend the elementary school in Schlingensief's opera village. Like the other students, they come from one of the six villages in the surrounding area. Nouhourou says he likes math and would like to become a doctor. Françoise enjoys theater and says she hopes to become a teacher.

A typical school day begins with a song in Mooré. In Burkina Faso, French is the official language, but Mooré is commonly spoken among the residents. In school, the students sing in both languages. "Françoise was able to write her own name and her brothers' names in the first grade," says her mother proudly.

Now the students have summer break and the classrooms are mostly empty. But when school is in session, there's often not enough space for all the kids. School director Abdoulaye Ouédraogo says that she had to use the room reserved for cultural events - and send the concerts and plays outdoors.

"In addition to the typical school subjects, culture plays a big role," explains Mahamaoudou Nacanabo, who is in charge of cultural programming at the opera village. "We invite artists from the region to the Opera Village so that they can hold workshops and introduce the students to art." Christoph Schlingensief's dream was just that: to integrate art into daily life.

Christoph Schlingensief criticized the elite culture scene and once said that he wanted people to "relearn how creativity comes out and develops." His village aims to fulfill that vision, and music plays an important role - though the Opera Village isn't just about Puccini and Mozart. The village has its own recording studio, which was set up by a music student from Dusseldorf.

Diébédo Francis Kéré, a native of Burkina Faso who studied in Germany, is the architect who worked together with Christoph Schlingensief to design the Opera Village, using natural materials from the region. The clay bricks were produced locally and keep the rooms cool and dry during the rainy season, making air-conditioning unnecessary.

Christoph Schlingensief had a clear plan for his Opera Village. The school was to be built first, then the clinic, and finally the concert hall. The clinic has been open since June 2014 and numerous babies have already been born there. Currently, many patients are being treated for malaria.

An area for dentistry was not initially part of the plan. But there are no dentist offices in the region, so the government decided to pay one to work at the Opera Village. It spares the local residents a long journey on foot to the next clinic far away.