An artist's best friend

Art is an essential form of expression that manifests itself through various disciplines such as the visual arts literature music theater cinema and many others. Having created a work an artist must not only finalize it but also protect promote and enhance it to ensure its recognition and longevity. This essay explores the seven major types of art and highlights the crucial steps an artist must take after creating his or her work. It stresses the importance of copyright which protects artists against unauthorized exploitation of their work and the role of the Bureau Malien du Droit d'Auteur (BUMDA) in defending Malian creators. Through concrete examples and inspiring stories this text illustrates how Malian artists whether painters writers musicians or actors have been able to assert their talent and defend their rights. It also features quotations from emblematic figures such as Salif Keïta Amadou Hampâté Bâ and Fatoumata Coulibaly underlining the importance of art in Malian culture.