ABOUT US
Our Mission
C.O.U.M.B.A. is a federal 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt non-profit organization with the aim of raising global awareness through the international languages of music and art, with a primary focus on using African diaspora culture. With the support of other organizations with a similar purpose, the organization is bringing together international and local artists in support of charitable and important causes affecting African and all communities,
with the ultimate goal of creating hope, raising money and
expanding cultural knowledge and acceptance.
Founder and Executive Director
Coumba Makalou is the Founder and Executive Director of C.onscientious O.rganizations U.sing M.usic to B.ring A.wareness. Her first name, which means Creativity in Swahili, is also the acronym used to define the organization she established in 2004 to bring awareness to world causes through the enjoyment of music and art. The Mali-born journalist holds a degree in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, and grew up in the neighbouring suburb area of Bethesda, MD. After several years of living in cities like New York, San Francisco, Bamako (Mali), and Abidjan (Ivory Coast), she has returned to the area where she grew up, and founded the C.O.U.M.B.A. Foundation as a result of all the different experiences and influences of her travels. Considering herself a nomad in nature, Ms. Makalou has traveled throughout the United States, Canada, Africa, Europe and Brazil. As an avid music fan, she started off as a cable commercial producer/writer in Washington DC. She has also worked for Global Publishing giant Simon and Schuster Publishing (Viacom) in NY and the Washington Times.
Board includes:
Dr. Oumar Makalou, Ph. D.
President and Founder of the Center for Democratic Research and Social Studies (CERDES).
Dr. Makalou, an internationally respected economist, was Deputy Director and Senior Advisor of the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) for more than 17 years and is the current Chair of the AGOA Civil Society. After retiring to his homeland of Mali to organize the first presidential debates in the country's history, and the first democratic elections in more than 20 years, Dr. Makalou started his own organization, CERDES, as a model and guide to implementing democratic principles and practices in Mali, throughout Africa and the world. Currently, President of the Executive Secretariat Non Governmental Process Community of Democracies, Dr. Makalou continues to successfully run CERDES while serving on the board of several internationally renowned organizations and institutions, as well as traveling around the world as an honorary guest speaker and consultant at various levels of policy making. Dr. Makalou's solid and exceptional experience has continued to earn him the respect and recognition of renowned institutions, scholars, and governments around the world as an expert economist, author, and advocate. He is also a meticulous jazz collector and music connoisseur.
Dr. Hakim Morsli M.D., Open Source Music
Hakim Morsli has had music in his heart since he was a teenage boy DeeJay-ing at local parties and giving his schoolmates something to look forward to on weekends. Today, Mr. Morsli is an internal medicine physician completing his residency at Georgetown University Medical School. Dr. Morsli continues to feed his musical passion while drawing his inspiration from "all corners of the world" as he explores the field of remixology. With his group, TAMAKA, formed in 1998 with highschool friend, Chris Richards, the duo has developed the unreleased project One Small Step. In late 1999, TAMAKA formed their own label, Open Source Music, to create and deliver music to a worldwide audience. Dr. Morsli spent most of 2000 working on OSM's Walking on Pennsylvania Avenue project introducing the groups own distinctive sound. TAMAKA's debut release was titled Sundown..
