Bamako - Culture

Modern-day Mali with (Bamako as a capital) evolved out of a long, illustrious history of vast and culturally rich empires centred around the lush inland delta of the Niger River. At its peak, the medieval Mali empire was the one of the world's chief gold suppliers. Tombouctou, gateway to the Sahara Desert, was a renowned centre for trade, culture and Islamic learning. The fabled city was home to one of the largest libraries in the world. Mali is a landlocked country of 11 million people in the heart of West Africa.  Traditionally the commercial centre of the region, Mali is bordered by the present-day countries of Mauritania and Senegal to the West; Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina-Faso to the South; Niger to the East; and Algeria across the northern expanses of the Sahara.Mali is nearly twice the size of Texas. The terrain is predominately savanna and sand-covered plains; 65 percent of the country is desert or semi-desert. The Niger River flows through the heart of the country, flooding annually and creating pasture land for livestock. The river forms a magnificent inland delta across an alluvial plain supporting unique and lush vegetation for six months of the year.

The French colonized much of West Africa in the late 19th century, but left little mark on present-day Mali. Malians won their independence in 1960, but Sahel-wide droughts in the early 1970s and again in the early 1980s, severely eroded the country's agriculture-based economy. In 1992, citizens voted in Mali's first civilian government. Today the government works to put the country on secure economic footings, focusing on food security, natural resource development, environmental protection and education. Still, Mali today is one of the world's poorest countries, with an annual per capita income of $260 (1991, CARE-Mali). Eighty percent of Malians rely on the land for their livelihood. Most are farmers who practice rain-fed agriculture on small landholdings, many raise livestock and some earn their living from fishing the Niger, Senegal, Bani and other rivers.

Historically and culturally, BAMAKO - MALI is the richest of all West African countries. Some of the mightiest empires of Africa were established here, their wealth based entirely on the trans-Saharan trade. These Kingdoms have vanished, but many traces of their vast cultural legacy are present today. Traditions are alive within Mali's ethnic groups: in their complex social structure, daily lives, festivals, religious ceremonies and beautiful artifacts. The culture of Mali has produced some of the most beautiful architecture and sculptures on earth, presented here by guest contributor to Mysterious Places Robert Donald Matthews. 

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