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Bogolan is originally a traditional dyeing technique from Mali that uses bogo or clay as prime dye material. The clay is usually applied on cotton cloth. Bogolan is a Bamanan word which is often wrongly translated in  English as "mud cloth." In fact, wet clay not mud is actually used. The traditional Bogolan includes colored dyes ranging from reddish brown, kaki and ochre. These dyes are primarily derived from local plants. Bogolan is the clothing of choice of traditional hunters in Mali. It said that they actually created this technique to use the smell and the color of earth in order to camouflage their human scents and appearance.

Souda's sand painting bogolan style art pieces are inspired by the traditional Bogolan in terms of design and colors. However, because Souda does not use traditional materials such as cotton cloth or clay but wood and colored sand instead (which is by the way still an earth product such as clay), she adds her own unique touch to the long tradition of the art of Bogolan.