Mali

Visited: January 2009

Duration of visit: 12 days

Capital city: Bamako

Population: 15 million (2009)

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

• One of the poorest countries in the world with only 14% of literate adults,
• Trekking thorough Dogon country with injured leg.
• Riding in a real, comfortable bus; enjoying stable supply of water and electricity.
• Fantastic Great Mosque of Djenné with picturesque Monday market.
• Fast growing capital Bamako, idyllically located on Niger river.

The Republic of Mali was part of my three months West Africa trip in 2008-09 from Morocco to Ghana. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with a population of only 15 million people, mostly concentrated in the southern part of the Sudanian savanna, where the rivers Niger and Senegal pass through.

Most of the Mali is covered with desert, receiving negligible rainfall and very frequent droughts.

Constant internal political and ethnical conflicts and the curse of mineral wealth in the form of gold only add to the fact that Mali is considered one of the poorest countries in the world.

Comparing to previously visited Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, Mali is a much more touristic country. If I came across three travelers in Guinea in two weeks, in Mali I was meeting a few dozen per day in the most touristic locations. The tourist and local infrastructure are also much more comfortable for visitors, and locals are used to hosting foreigners.

I was riding on luxury, big size buses on solid, paved roads for the first time since Morocco and it was hard to believe that Mali is statistically so impoverished. Electricity and water supply seem to be stable, since I never faced any issues with shortages; at least in hotels and larger cities.

The main presence of poverty appears in the countryside, where people live in primitive mud huts, fighting for survival day after day in hope that rainfall during the rainy season will wet the fields enough to allow rich harvest to last until the next rain. With only 14% of the adult population able to read and write, it is not surprising that one in five children does not reach the age of four.

What’s more surprising is the fact that I haven’t seen as many fat and obese adult women in any other country in West Africa so far. Improper diet and excessive amounts of unhealthy food with a lot of fat and flour are the main reasons why Malian women fall to the bottom edge of the African beauty scale.

My first real stop was the capital city of Bamako. A decent room in a centrally located hotel at affordable price always makes me happy, especially in Africa. The only additional service I need is a good shower; in summer, refreshing, cold water can make my day. Mali’s capital and the fastest-growing city in Africa, acts as a major port along Niger river, as well as a cultural and industrial center. Mosques, churches, a national library, and one of West Africa’s tallest towers top the list of attractions in the capital Bamako.

The bustle of the markets, where vendors offer their crafts, wares and mingle with friendly, welcoming locals, is usually the highlight for me in African big cities. Locally manufactured goods are not many: textiles, processed meat and metal goods. Plenty of fruits and vegetable are available, combined with imported (mostly Chinese) goods.

Commercial fishing occurs on the Niger River, where many multicolored fishing and cargo boats are moored on the banks of the river. Calabash bowls and salt slabs are waiting to be transported on the magic river or distributed to the retailers around the city.

The inhospitable Sahara Desert used to be the chief natural source of rock salt, either acquired from surface deposits or extracted from relatively shallow mines, where the salt is naturally formed into slabs. Salt is still an important source of income and one of the main trading products.

The main purpose of visiting Mali was not Bamako, but the biggest mosque made of mud in the world and to trek around Dogon country.

The market in Djenne in front of the mighty mosque is really something spectacular. On Sunday afternoon vendors bring all possible stuff: food, drinks, variety of products, old radios, improvised solutions for clothes, cooking and working, from all around the region. On the market day – Monday – all products are exhibited on display in a colorful mixture of heat, dirt, negotiations and foreign visitors.

The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud building in the world and it was, along with the Old Town, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

It is considered by many architects as one of the greatest achievements of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. The first mosque on the site was built around the 13^th century, but the current structure dates from 1907. As well as being the center of the community of Djenné, it is one of the most famous landmarks in the whole Africa. Only Muslims are allowed to enter the mosque, but the spectacular view over it at sunrise is truly amazing.

The mosque reaches 20 meters high along a 91-metre platform, making it the world’s largest mud-brick building. The famous building must be re-built every year during a one-day festival called Crépissage (Plastering), taking place in April, before the start of the rainy season. The plastering ceremony is as much a cultural festival as it is a required task, keeping the old structure from crumbling in the heat.

People come together to reconstruct the walls with mud, which also help keep the building cool even in the blistering heat of the summer. People organize in community groups, competing who can plaster their section of the mosque faster in order to receive a special financial reward.

One of the main reasons why travelers visit Mali is to trek along Dogon Valley. I decided for a four-day trek and joined a group of two ladies in their mature years (a Dutch woman and a resident of Burkina Faso), who were able to afford a porter.

The Dogons are best known for their religious traditions, mask dances, wooden sculpture and unique architecture in this particular countryside.

There have been no significant changes in the social organization, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon since the beginning of twentieth century.

The night before we started the walk, I stepped awkwardly and when I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t even put weight properly on my right leg. The first fifteen minutes of walking I looked very bad. I was just about to give up and go back to the hotel.

According to Lonely Planet guide, trekking through Dogon country is among the 10 things you should to do before leaving for another world. Being so close, preparing for it and hoping to enjoy it for so much time during my trip in West Africa, it would be a tremendous disappointment giving up on it right there and then.

We slowed down the pace and somehow, I managed to break through the strenuous descents and ascents of 15 to 20 kilometers per day. In addition to the magnificent view over the savannah and canyon, the essence of Dogon are spectacular villages where members of the Dogon tribe live simply (primitively), like their ancestors many years ago.

Despite the large number of tourists, a transmitter for mobile telephony had not been set yet, electricity is science fiction, women pump water from wells and carry it on their heads to their houses.

The interesting architecture and location at the top of the cliffs once protected them from slave trappers, served as a refugee to avoid conversion to Islam and retreated from areas controlled by Muslims. The other factor influencing their choice of settlement location was access to water of Niger River nearby. Nowadays, it is more a disadvantage than an advantage, as they are far away from modern civilization or fertile soil for agriculture. The Dogons are primarily agriculturalists and cultivate millet, sorghum, rice and tobacco.

We slept in basic guesthouses in the villages, ate food that was prepared at informal canteens and numerous times talked with locals. The communication in English was not smooth, but with the help of our guide we managed to learn new things about this unique culture. After warming up on day one, my leg status improved and I managed to walk all the way without too much pain. At the end of day 2, I was in perfect shape again. So happy!

The town of Timbuktu – historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a center of Islamic culture in the 15^th and 16^th century, was initially in my route plan, but it would have to wait until the next time. The dry season resulted in the Niger River being too shallow for navigation, and I opted not to drive all day because of constraints related to time and finances.

The famous Festival Au Desert, which used to be organized in the area of Timbuktu had been cancelled in the recent years due to instability and risk of terrorist attacks in the region.

I made a good choice to visit Mali in a peaceful time in the off-season. Continuous armed conflicts, political instability and mass protests can make it risky to visit this landlocked country, which has much more to offer than most of its neighbors.

One of the most amazing facts about Mali, is the transformation from prosperous and rich kingdom to one of the poorest countries in the world.

Life around these areas must have been very different, when first inhabited around 10,000 BC. Sahara Desert was extremely fertile and rich with wildlife. The huge Mali Empire sprawled across the continent from 13^th to 17^th century with the city of Timbuktu as a hub for the Islamic faith and knowledge.

The first king of Timbuktu and the great ruler of Mali Empire between 1,280 and 1,337 – Mansa Musa – was the richest person of all times. His wealth was based on the country’s vast salt and gold deposits.

But those times are gone; life in the harsh environment of isolated desert will become more challenging in the future. Global warming, constant internal conflicts, which have been supplemented by religious extremists recently and above average growth of population, will increase the battle for survival in this arid area of ​​land.