Learning about Mali, Africa

By: Lequanda Isom

MALI, AFRICA

Mali is the seventh largest country in Africa. Mali’s size and location makes it extremely diverse culturally and geographically.

Bamako on the Niger River

View of Bamako

Bamako is the capital and the largest city of Mali, Africa. (1,809,106 est. pop. 2009)

Mali President Amadou Toumani Touré

Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré with former U.S. President George W. Bush.

President of Mali, Africa

The Great Mosque

The rural Mosque, Bougouni village, Mali

Granaries, part of Dogon family compounds, Sanga region, Mali.

ArchitectureApproximately 90% of Malians are Muslim, and much of the architecture in Mali is mosques. Some of the most dramatic architecture was built by Dogon masons in an area called Bandiagara Escarpment, where Dogon houses cling dramatically to high cliffs. Other unique structures in Mali include granaries, meeting-house, and traditional shrines.

Market along the Niger River banks

Mali’s population was an estimated 13million in 2009.

Mali is renown for its arts and crafts including pottery, Dogon wood sculptures, Taureg leatherwork, basketry, and textiles. Many works of art, such as Dogon wall paintings, represent complex mythologies.

Music and masquerades serve important spiritual purposes in Mali, from celebrations to funerals, secular to rituals, as well as bring the community together.

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. Mali’s key industry is agriculture. Cotton is the largest export.

THE END