MALI

[Guest]

.

[Natasha]

MALI

Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (French: République du Mali), is a landlocked nation in Western Africa. It is the seventh largest country in Africa. It borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its straight borders on the north stretch into the centre of the Sahara, while the country's south, where the majority of inhabitants live, features the Niger and Senegal rivers. Formerly French Sudan, the country is named after the Mali Empire. The name of the country comes from the Bambara word for hippopotamus (with the animal appearing on the 5 franc coin), the name of its capital city, Bamako comes from the Bambara word meaning "crocodile's back ".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali

[Natasha]

TIMBUKTU

Timbuktu (Archaic English: Timbuctoo; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu; French: Tombouctou) is a city in Tombouctou Region, in the West African nation of Mali. It is home to the prestigious Sankore University and other madrasas, and was an intellectual and spiritual capital and centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahya, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification. Timbuktu is primarily made of mud.

Timbuktu is populated by Songhay, Tuareg, Fulani, and Mandé people, and is about 15 km north of the Niger River. It is also at the intersection of an east–west and a north–south Trans-Saharan trade across the Sahara to Araouane. It was important historically (and still is today) as an entrepot for rock-salt from Taoudenni.

Its geographical setting made it a natural meeting point for nearby African populations and nomadic Berber and Arab peoples from the north. Its long history as a trading outpost that linked west Africa with Berber, Arab, and Jewish traders throughout north Africa, and thereby indirectly with traders from Europe, has given it a fabled status, and in the West it was for long a metaphor for exotic, distant lands: "from here to Timbuktu."

Timbuktu's long-lasting contribution to Islamic and world civilization is scholarship. By the fourteenth century, important books were written and copied in Timbuktu, establishing the city as the centre of a significant written tradition in Africa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu

[Natasha]

More photos from Timbuktu

Photo 1: Tuareg nomad rides camel past Saharan desert dwelling near Timbuktu

Photo 2: Market Vendors

Photo 3: Pinasse boats ferry goods and passengers between Mopti and Timbuktu

Photo 4: Street Scene

Photo 5: Street Scene

Photo 6: Street Scene

Photo 7: Street Scene - Bread Oven

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/mali/timbuktu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu

[Natasha]

Amnesty International Report 2007: Mali

http://www.amnesty.org/

Attachment: 2007 Amnesty International Report: Mali (1 page)

[Milford]

You know, when I recently - partially because of Kiva - bought a stone globe (really nifty), I was shocked to find a large country in Africa that I didn't know. Yes, you guessed it - Mali. 10 million inhabitants, and I'd never heard of the place. :/

[Elizabeth]

You know, when I recently - partially because of Kiva - bought a stone globe (really nifty), I was shocked to find a large country in Africa that I didn't know. Yes, you guessed it - Mali. 10 million inhabitants, and I'd never heard of the place. :/

You are not alone, Milford. I just discovered them in the MFI section. I had never heard of the country Mali, either. Natasha has posted some beautiful pictures. I am drawn to this entrepreneur. Maybe it's her name.

Elisabeth Djoné

[Natasha]

Cuisine

Malinese cuisine consists mainly of millet, corn, or rice porridges served with a large variety of "sauces". Sauces can be made of ground peanuts, okra, baobab leaves, or sweet potato leaves. A variety of meats and vegetables are added to the sauces, which are then served with porridge, couscous or rice. Beef, lamb, chicken, and fresh or smoked fish are popular proteins. Common vegetables include onions, tomatoes, eggplant, plantain and yams. Common West African dishes, such as poulet yassa and foutou are popular in Mali as well. Mangoes, bananas, lemons and watermelon are common fruits.

Meni-meniyong -(Malinese sesame-honey sweet)
Yield: About 40 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

Sesame seeds - 1 cup
Honey - 1 cup
Butter, unsalted - 4 Tbsp


METHOD:

Basic Steps:  Toast → Caramelize → Mix → Form

1.Preheat oven to 450ºF. Spread the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven about 10-12 minutes. Remove and cool.

2.Heat the honey and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it bubbles and darkens somewhat, about 3-5 minutes.

3.Stir the toasted sesame seeds into honey mixture. Spread the mass onto a buttered baking sheet to a thickness of about 1/4". Cool until it is just warm and cut into finger-sized pieces.

4. Return the cut pieces to the baking sheet, cool completely and serve.

http://www.whats4eats.com/recipes/r_de_menimeniyong.php

[Natasha]

Mafé -(West African meat in peanut sauce)

INGREDIENTS:

Oil - 2 Tbsp
Onion (minced) - 1 each
Garlic (minced) 3 - 6 cloves
Optional: Ginger (minced) - 1 Tbsp
Beef, stewing chopped into chunks 2 lbs
   
Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
Tomatoes peeled, seeded, diced 2 cups
Salt & pepper  to taste
   
Water or stock  1 - 2 cups
Peanut butter, natural unsalted - 1 cup

METHOD:

Basic Steps:  Sauté → Simmer

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onions and sauté till translucent. Add garlic and ginger and sauté 1-2 more minutes.

2. Add the beef and sauté till lightly browned.

3. Add the tomato paste and stir in for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Season. Simmer 10-15 minutes to reduce the tomatoes somewhat.

4. Add enough water or stock to loosen the dish up and simmer another 10 minutes.
Stir in the peanut butter and simmer another 40 minutes or so until the beef is tender and oil rises to the surface of the dish.

5. Adjust seasoning and serve with rice or couscous.

VARIATIONS:

~Use a whole chicken, cut up, instead of beef. Mutton or goat can also be used.
~When you add the water or stock, add some vegetables such as cabbage, yams, squash, okra, eggplant, potatoes, peppers or carrots if you like.
~Some recipes call for adding the peanut butter right after the tomato paste and before the chopped tomatoes.

NOTES:

~This dish is popular in Western Africa, particularly in Senegal, Gambia, Mali and the Ivory Coast.
~There are various spellings, including mafe, maffé, maffe, or Maafe.  The dish also goes by the names sauce d'arachide, tigadèguèna or tigadene.

http://www.whats4eats.com/recipes/r_de_menimeniyong.php

[Claus-Peter]

[Claus-Peter]

Geography
Most of Mali, in West Africa, lies in the Sahara. A landlocked country four-fifths the size of Alaska, it is bordered by Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and the Côte d'Ivoire. The only fertile area is in the south, where the Niger and Senegal rivers provide irrigation.

Government
Republic.

History

Caravan routes have passed through Mali since A.D. 300. The Malinke empire ruled regions of Mali from the 12th to the 16th century, and the Songhai empire reigned over the Timbuktu-Gao region in the 15th century. Morocco conquered Timbuktu in 1591 and ruled over it for two centuries. Subjugated by France by the end of the 19th century, the land became a colony in 1904 (named French Sudan in 1920) and in 1946 became part of the French Union. On June 20, 1960, it became independent and, under the name of Sudanese Republic, was joined with the Republic of Senegal in the Mali federation. However, Senegal seceded from the federation on Aug. 20, 1960, and the Sudanese Republic then changed its name to the Republic of Mali on Sept. 22.

In the 1960s, Mali concentrated on economic development, continuing to accept aid from both Soviet bloc and Western nations, as well as international agencies. In the late 1960s, it began retreating from close ties with China. But a purge of conservative opponents brought greater power to President Modibo Keita, and in 1968, the influence of the Chinese and their Malian sympathizers increased. The army overthrew the government on Nov. 19, 1968 and brought Mali under military rule for the next 20 years. Mali and Burkina Faso fought a brief border war from Dec. 25 to 29, 1985. In 1991, dictator Moussa Traoré was overthrown, and Mali made a peaceful transition to democracy. In 1992, Alpha Konaré became Mali's first democratically elected president.

In the early 1990s, the government fought against rebellions by the Tuaregs, nomads of Berber and Arab descent who inhabit the northern desert regions of Mali and have little in common with Mali's black African majority. The Tuaregs accused the government of marginalizing them politically and culturally. A peace agreement was signed in 1995, and thousands of Tuareg refugees returned to the country.

Mali's second multiparty national elections took place in May 1997, with President Konaré winning reelection.

Konaré won international praise for his efforts to revive Mali's faltering economy. His adherence to International Monetary Fund guidelines increased foreign investment and helped make Mali the second-largest cotton producer in Africa. Konaré was also the chairman of the 15-nation ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States), which in recent years has concentrated on brokering peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Konaré retired after serving the two five-year terms permitted by the constitution.

In June 2002, Amadou Toumani Touré was elected president. A highly popular and respected public figure, he engineered the 1991 coup that freed the country from military rule. In 2004, he appointed Ousmane Issoufi Maïga as the new prime minister.

In 2005 a severe locust infestation and drought threatened about 10% of the population with starvation.

In June 2006, the government signed a peace treaty ending a Tuareg rebellion earlier in the year. The president has promised a significant development and anti-poverty program for the Tuaregs.

Touré was reelected in April 2007, winning 68.3% of the vote. His opponent, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, took 18.6%. In September, Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi Maïga resigned, and Modibo Sidibé succeeded him.