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.

[Claus-Peter]

Republic of Mali

National name: République de Mali

President: Amadou Toumani Touré (2002)

Prime Minister: Modibo Sidibé (2007)

Land area: 471,042 sq mi (1,219,999 sq km); total area: 478,767 sq mi (1,240,000 sq km)

Population (2007 est.): 11,995,402 (growth rate: 2.7%); birth rate: 49.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 105.7/1000; life expectancy: 49.5; density per sq mi: 25

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Bamako, 1,323,200 (metro. area), 935,400

Monetary unit: CFA Franc

Languages: French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Ethnicity/race: Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, Songhai 6%, other 5%

Religions: Islam 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%

Literacy rate: 46% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $11.86 billion; per capita $1,000. Real growth rate: 5.5%. Inflation: 4.5% (2002 est.). Unemployment: 14.6% (2001 est.). Arable land: 4%. Agriculture: cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats. Labor force: 3.93 million (2001 est.); agriculture and fishing 80%, industry and services 20% (2001 est.). Industries: food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining. Natural resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, hydropower; note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited. Exports: $323 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): cotton, gold, livestock. Imports: $1.858 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.): petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles. Major trading partners: China, Pakistan, Thailand, Italy, Germany, India, Bangladesh, France, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 45,000 (2000); mobile cellular: 40,000 (2001). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 28, shortwave 1 note: the shortwave station in Bamako has seven frequencies and five transmitters and relays broadcasts for China Radio International (2001). Radios: 570,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus repeaters) (2001). Televisions: 45,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2001). Internet users: 30,000 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 729 km (2002). Highways: total: 15,100 km; paved: 1,827 km; unpaved: 13,273 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 1,815 km. Ports and harbors: Koulikoro. Airports: 26 (2002.

International disputes: armed bandits based in Mali attack southern Algerian towns.

[waywardcats]

Women in Mali - Employment and Entrepreneurship
In general, women are less represented than men in the more lucrative sectors of the economy; state employment, private enterprises, and long-distance trade. However, there are significant differences among women. For instance, living conditions for women in the rural areas often differ from those of urban women. In general, rural women have a much heavier workload and reduced access to health care than city women. 

There are some common issues that most women are confronted with, such as female circumcision (practiced by most ethnic groups, with the exception of the Tuareg), a strong emphasis on the woman's role in the socialization and education of children, and discriminatory inheritance practices to mention only a few. The ways in which a woman is affected by these issues vary significantly depending upon her location, her education, her class, and her relationship with her husband. Studies of urban women show entrepreneurial efforts in establishing broad networks of family, friends, and neighbors upon whom they can rely for companionship and mutual help. In addition, some local and foreign aid agencies have increasingly been involved in helping individual women as well as women's groups in setting up small enterprises (e.g. small enterprises of food processing) but much is still to be done in this direction.

In many Malian farming communities both women and men are actively involved in agricultural activities. Among the Bamana, in addition to taking care of many household chores, women work most of their lives in the collective fields of their husband's extended family. Upon reaching menopause they retire from work in the collective fields and often redirect their efforts in the cultivation of their own fields. Women are also very active in trade activities. Post-menopausal women are freer to engage more extensively in trade activities than are women of child-bearing age. However, women sell mainly food items, both raw and processed, and a few manufactured goods (e.g. cloth), while men engage more often in the sale of manufactured goods. In general, a woman's access to market participation tends to be limited to a series of economic activities which are less lucrative than the businesses in which men are engaged.

In the cities women continue to take care of most of the household chores as well as to be actively involved in minor trade. Rural girls prior to their marriage are often employed as maids in the cities in order to accumulate goods for the constitution of their own dowry (konyon minén). Women are underemployed in the formal economy, although some studies have recently shown that women are well represented in certain professions such as law.

Women in Mali - Marriage
Three different forms of marriage can be distinguished in Mali today: traditional (which varies greatly from region to region and across ethnic groups), civil, and religious (mostly Muslim). In the cities, many couples see the ideal marriage as one that has been legitimized traditionally, civilly, and religiously. Civil marriage is especially popular among wage workers, for without official sanction by the state, wives and children will not be entitled to social welfare benefits such as pensions. In the rural areas and to some extent in the urban areas, marriages are arranged. This practice reflects the importance of establishing alliances between families over individual preferences.

Most Malian ethnic groups are patrilineal, and residence after marriage tends to be with the husbands family. In rural areas and to a large extent in the cities, domestic units are rarely limited to the nuclear family. Most often they consist of an extended patrilineal family (that is, they consist of a father, his wife(ves), his sons, their wives and children, and unmarried daughters). Polygyny (males may take multiple wives) is legal, and couples have the option of choosing between monogamy and polygyny when they enter into a civil marriage (although this is not necessarily binding). Among the Mande, relationships between mothers and their children are very intense and affectionate, and children of the same mother tend to rely on each other for help over the years. Traditionally, relationships between half-siblings with different mothers are more tense and competitive. Another area of potential conflict is the relationship between co-wives, which varies considerably from compound to compound. Yet it is not rare to find co-wives who get along with each other and establish relationships of mutual support—a situation often feared by the husband, who is clearly put in a minority position in the household. In the cities it is not rare to find couples who live independently from their extended families—this typically reflects a higher social standing and Western education. Even in these cases household members are not limited to the nuclear family and may include children from previous marriages, nephews, nieces, or other family members, and clients.


A great deal more information can be found here: http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Mali.html

-Kerry-

[P, B and J]

By chance I recently came upon a very nicely done and interesting website for youth and teachers!

Réseau In-Terre-Actif homepage (French and English site): http://www.in-terre-actif.com/english/index.php

Info and link to youth-friendly country fact sheets below (There is also a Teacher's Guide)

The Country Fact Sheets are presented to you by the Réseau In-Terre-Actif, and were created in collaboration with the Canadian Government through the Canadian International Development Agency.

The Country Fact Sheets were created for students in their final year of primary school, and is composed of 10 educational guides that each explore a developing nation.

The guides embody an educational approach that encourages action, interaction, and engagement on the part of students as they explore the challenges of international development.

Furthermore, the guides develop in students an awareness of global challenges that encourages critical thinking, and students’ participation in their community.

Note that teachers and educational presenters are free to use the guides in their entirety, or to select and employ sections of the guides to meet their educational objectives.

* http://www.in-terre-actif.com/english/show.php?id=4795

Countries listed:

Benin
Cameroon
Cuba
Haiti
Honduras
Mali
Nicaragua
Rwanda
Senegal
Vietnam

* Each link to a country brings up a colourful and interesting PDF file.  There are also games/activities!  (I'm not sure that I should link directly to the PDF files, but by going to the link marked by the * in the quote above, you will see all 10 countries listed on the same page.  Each country name brings up the respective PDF.)

[Amy-in-PHX]

I was looking for a wedding party in Burkina Faso, but found this instead - Mali wedding party, too good to pass up.   

[Amy-in-PHX]

Current excerpts, CIA factbook on Mali:

Background -
The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a military coup - led by the current president Amadou TOURE - enabling Mali's emergence as one of the strongest democracies on the continent. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE, who was subsequently elected to a second term in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be free and fair.

Economy/Overview -
Among the 25 poorest countries in the world, Mali is a landlocked country highly dependent on gold mining and agricultural exports for revenue. The country's fiscal status fluctuates with gold and agricultural commodity prices and the harvest. Mali remains dependent on foreign aid. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River and about 65% of its land area is desert or semidesert. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. The government has continued an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that has helped the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali is developing its cotton and iron ore extraction industries to diversify its revenue sources because gold production has started to fall. Mali has invested in tourism but security issues are hurting the industry. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 [ Can you say "shared currency risk," kids?  Hope they don't decide they need to do that again.] have pushed up economic growth to a 5% average in 1996-2010. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. However, Mali is building a road network that will connect it to all adjacent countries and it has a railway line to Senegal. In 2010, Mali experienced a regional drought that hurt livestock and livelihoods.

GDP - real growth rate:   
5.2% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
4.4% (2009 est.)
5.0% (2008 est.)
 
GDP - per capita (PPP):   
$1,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
$1,200 (2009 est.)
$1,200 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
 
GDP - composition by sector:   
agriculture: 45%
industry: 17%
services: 38% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:   
30% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177 
 
Population below poverty line:   
36.1% (2005 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:   
40.1 (2001)
country comparison to the world: 60
50.5 (1994)
 
Budget:   
revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion (2006 est.)
 
Inflation rate (consumer prices):   
2.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65 

Agriculture - products:   
cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats
 
Industries:   
food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining


Transnational Issues -
Disputes - international:   
demarcation is currently underway with Burkina Faso
 
Refugees and internally displaced persons:   
refugees (country of origin): 6,300 (Mauritania) (2007)

[Amy-in-PHX]

A different perspective - the BBC News Country Profile of Mali:

The landlocked West African country of Mali - one of the poorest in the world - has experienced rapid economic growth since the 1990s.

For several decades after independence from France in 1960, Mali suffered droughts, rebellions, a coup and 23 years of military dictatorship. But since its first democratically-elected president took power in 1992, it has had a civilian government and enjoyed relative political stability.


OVERVIEW

The core of ancient empires going back to the fourth century, Mali was conquered by the French in the middle of the 19th century.  In 1958 it was proclaimed the Sudanese Republic and the following year it became the Mali Federation, after uniting with Senegal. However, Senegal seceded and Mali became independent in 1960.

Although swathes of Mali are barren, the country is self-sufficient in food thanks to the fertile Niger river basin in the south and east.

Mali is one of the continent's biggest cotton producers. Along with other African exporters it has lobbied against subsidies to cotton farmers in richer countries, particularly the US. It argues that these depress prices and restrict Malian farmers' access to export markets.

Mali is saddled with a chronic foreign trade deficit, making it heavily dependent on foreign aid and the money sent home from emigrants working abroad.

In 1985 Mali fought a brief border war with Burkina Faso, and relations continue to be strained.

In the early 1990s the army was sent to the north to quell a rebellion by nomadic Tuareg tribes over land, cultural and linguistic rights. The uprising was ended by a series of treaties in the mid-1990s, but frustration over continuing perceived inequalities led to a renewed rebellion in 2007. Sporadic fighting continued throughout 2008, despite a cease-fire signed in May. In early 2009, military successes for the government and the surrender of several hundred rebels boosted hopes of a return to a peace process.

Mali has produced some of the stars of African music. The Festival in the Desert, held every year in Essakane, a Saharan oasis, celebrates this talent.

The kidnapping of a number of foreigners apparently at the hands of al-Qaeda has raised fears that the country is being used as a sanctuary by the militants. Mali has not adopted as tough a stance towards al-Qaeda as its neighbours Algeria and Mauritania, and has agreed to free militant prisoners in order to secure the release of foreign hostages. This has given rise to tensions between Mali and the other Saharan states.


FACTS

•Full name: The Republic of Mali
•Population: 13.3 million (UN, 2010)
•Capital: Bamako
•Area: 1.25 million sq km (482,077 sq miles)
•Major languages: French, Bambara, Berber, Arabic
•Major religions: Islam, indigenous beliefs
•Life expectancy: 50 years (men), 51 years (women) (UN)
•Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
•Main exports: Cotton, gold, livestock
•GNI per capita: US $680 (World Bank, 2009)

LEADER

President: Amadou Toumani Toure

Amadou Toumani Toure, the army general credited with rescuing Mali from military dictatorship and handing it back to its people, won presidential elections in May 2002. He was re-elected in 2007.

He first came to power in 1991, overthrowing military ruler Moussa Traore after his security forces killed over 100 pro-democracy demonstrators.

He gained widespread respect, and the nickname "soldier of democracy", for handing power to elected civilians the next year.

Born in 1948, Mr Toure is also known popularly by his initials "ATT". He has no official party but went into the first round of the elections with the backing of numerous support groups and 22 minor parties.


MEDIA

Mali's broadcast and print media are among the freest in Africa. Laws that provide harsh penalties for slandering public officials are rarely invoked.

There are some 40 privately-owned newspapers and around 50 private radio and television stations, as well as state-run print and broadcast media.

[Amy-in-PHX]

Created in January 2001, the Festival Au Desert is held every year in the North of Mali, usually in Essakane, two hours from Timbuktu; sometimes directly at Timbuktu. It is organized by AITMA and EFES Associations together with Essakane Production.

This festival seeks its origin in the big traditional Touareg festivities, as Takoubelt in Kidal and Temakannit in Timbuktu, which represented for a long time a place for decision making and exchange of information among the different communities. At the beginning, there were songs and touareg dances, poetries, camel rides and games.

Today, the Festival is opened to the external world and welcomes artists from other Malian regions, other African countries, but also from Europe and the rest of the world.

During three days, around 30 artistic groups are invited from all around the world to present their art.

The next Festival au Desert will take place on 12 - 13 - 14 January 2012.  The official website is here:  http://www.festival-au-desert.org/ and the facebook page is here:  http://www.facebook.com/login.php and by signing up for the email list on the website, or liking the facebook page, you can keep abreast of what music acts have signed up to participate, etc.


A group of Tuareg people arriving on their camels to the Festival au Desert 2007, accompanied by great flute & percussion music.

[Amy-in-PHX]

And here is video from Festival sur Niger [River] in Segou.  (Segou is a town in the more populous, and wetter, southern part of Mali, where the women live whose loan I just posted in the Babies thread earlier today.)  There is lots of great music and dancing in here, together with interesting costumes, beautiful faces and scenery -- all in short snippets, but edited by someone with skill.  (Tom Swindell)

[greg3912]

France Urges Elections After Reported Coup in Mali
By ALAN COWELL
Published: March 22, 2012


LONDON — France called for elections “as soon as possible” in its former colony of Mali on Thursday after mutinous troops were reported to have overturned the government, chased the president from his hilltop palace, imposed a curfew and declared on state television that they had dissolved state institutions and suspended the constitution.

The immediate cause of the apparent ouster of President Amadou Toumani Touré was discontent among mid-ranking officers over the government’s handling of a decades-old uprising by Tuareg rebels fighting for a desert homeland in the north of the landlocked country. In recent months, their ranks have swollen with an influx heavily armed men who fought for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya.

Mutineers claimed to have overrun both the state television and the presidential palace — traditional focal points in Africa’s many coups since the stirring of independence a half-century ago — and news reports spoke of heavy gunfire and tracer bullets zipping through the night air as the mutineers fought with elite paratroops in the presidential guard.

But some reports said the presidential guard had not put up strong resistance.

“We are in control of the presidential palace,” a member of the presidential guard told Agence France-Presse by telephone as the coup unfolded. “People are shooting towards us and we are returning fire.”

A spokesman for the mutineers, identified as Lt. Amadou Konare, announced later in a communiqué read out on state television that a so-called National Committee for the Establishment of Democracy had taken action because of the government’s “incompetence” and failure to tackle the Tuareg revolt.

Lieutenant Konare was quoted in news reports as saying the government had not provided troops with adequate means “to defend the nation” against the northern rebels. He promised that civilian rule would be restored at some stage, news reports said, but added that in the meantime the constitution would be suspended.

The leader of the mutinous troops, identified on state television as Captain Amadou Sanogo, appeared briefly to announce that a curfew was in force.

In Paris, the French foreign minister, Alain Juppé, told Europe 1 radio that France condemns the mutineers’ actions and “demands the re-establishment of constitutional order, and elections, which were scheduled for April, must take place as soon as possible.”

It was unclear what impact his words would have as the rebels sought consolidate power.

President Touré had promised to step down in advance of elections set for April 29. The Malian leader is a former soldier who overthrew the then president-for-life, Moussa Traore, in 1991 before handing power back to civilians. He came to office in elections in 2002 and was returned to office in 2007.

“The situation is currently unclear and unfolding quickly,” said a State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, urging American citizens to stay indoors. “We believe that grievances should be addressed through dialogue, not through violence,” she said.

A.F.P. said the anger erupted on Wednesday when the new defense minister, Sadio Gassama, visited the Kati military camp outside the capital but failed to calm tensions over the continuing insurgency. Soldiers protested, firing shots into the air and demanding proper weapons with which to face the rebels, who have seized several towns in the north, A.F.P. said.

“We want ammunition to go and fight the Tuareg rebels,” a corporal at the Kati camp said. “Enough is enough.”

Tuaregs form a nomadic group of 1.5 million people of many tribes located in countries including Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Niger and Mali.

Separately, Mali has acknowledged in the past that several hundred fighters from Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb have found sanctuary in its desert reaches, although most are believed to be Mauritanians and Algerians.

In recent years, the Qaeda affiliate has left a trail of violence across Mauritania, Niger, Algeria and Mali, taking aim at tourists, expatriate workers, local residents and security forces. Hostages taken in the porous border regions have been executed or ransomed

[Amy-in-PHX]

Thanks for posting the Mali news, Greg.

[TheTatiana]

http://firstladymali2012.com/ Here's a blog I found about what's happening now in Mali by the wife of one of the contenders in the upcoming Presidential Elections, Yeah Samake. There are several videos of interviews Samake gave to Al Jazeera. Coverage on the BBC and in the US seems to be not very extensive, so far, but Al Jazeera is updating more frequently with what is known now (admittedly not very much). Hope it's helpful!

I love the country of Mali because some of the greatest music in the world comes from there, from the region around Timbuktu, where the tradition of the blues in the southern US originated. I also like Samake a lot because he's accomplished so much for his city in such a short time as mayor mainly by rejecting corruption and establishing the expectation that government officials under him will not solicit or accept bribes, but *will* be paid their salaries so they can feed their families without corruption. This increased the tax collection percentage from 10% up to near 70%, which taxes were then used to deliver clean water to the people, good schools, etc. I feel like the corruption and bad governance that so many African people have come to expect can and will be turned around by people like Samake.