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MALI | Visit Mali with TransAfrica |
Mali
is a country of grand historic empires and vast deserts. Tradition
sits proudly and nobly on the shoulders of its ever-smiling men and
women. The history of Mali begins in the final centuries before Christ
and continues until the arrival of the French, encompassing the great
empires of Ghana, Soussou, Mali, Songhai, Bambara, and Peul. Stories
of battles, of kings and legendary heroes, are remembered in the songs
of the “griots” (traditional singers), in the architecture
of the homes, and in the white mosques of Djenné and Tombouctou.
In the south Mali is a country of green, tree-lined savannahs peopled by the Bambara, Malinké and Songhai farmers, as well as the Haoussa and Dioula merchants.
Near the Burkina Faso border rises the Dogon city of Falaise de Bandiagara. The Dogon are a fascinating people whose ancient traditions have been unaltered by time. The Dogon’s incredible and complex beliefs are reflected in the innumerable symbols which decorate and form the architecture of their houses and granaries. In the shade of the “togunas”, which are niches for speeches, the elders tell stories of yesteryear while rapidly and expertly braiding ropes of baobab fiber. On special occasions in the main square of the village under the sacred grottos, which were the ancient dwelling places of the Tellem, one can find masked dancers accompanied by tom-toms.
As you travel north the savanna slowly bleeds into the “Sahel”, a vast flat countryside strewn with acacias and grasses which survive in both the intense dryness and the ravaging rains. This is the territory of the Peuls; proud shepherds who in their traditional songs exalt the beauty of the open space, the herds of zebu with their crescent horns, and their charming women, always splendidly attired in jewelry.
Traversing all 1,700 km of Mali, the Niger River gives life to these arid lands. Opening into an interior delta that periodically floods, the Niger is a lifesaver for the Songhai peasants and nomadic Peuls, as well as the Bozo fishermen who spend their lives in canoes. To sail on the river is to live a moment of peace, allowing you to become one with nature and the simple people: water, grasses, birds, small villages and straw or banco canoes. Alongside the river one finds historic cities. Mopti: from whose harbor arrives and departs the large decorated pinasse; a harbor full of people and wonderful bric-a-brac of items for sale – drinks, vegetables, rice, goats and chickens, pots and fabrics. Djenné: its mosque, the largest in the world, was declared by UNESCO the birthplace of humanity; the cities narrow streets remind us of centuries now extinct. Tombouctou: this mysterious city was coveted by 19th century European explorers. Once a famous commercial, cultural, and religious center with banks, libraries, and universities, the city is now a tranquil place of clay houses and mosques surrounded by the menacing desert.
After passing through Tombouctou one encounters the Sahara desert land of the Touaregs, Bellas, and Moors. Many of these peoples are still nomads wandering the great plains with their families, camels, and tents, in an eternal search for wells and pastureland. The Touaregs observe a traditional three-part tea service: the first is strong and bitter, the second weaker and sweetened, the third very sweet – like love, it is said. The desert begins north of Tombouctou. Flat and infinite countryside wakens the senses to the caravans of Azalai - men and camels, transporting salt 800 km from the mines of Taoudenni to Tombouctou; to the rare wells, meeting places of men and the goats, donkeys and camels; and on to the white tents of the nomads which dot the inaccessible horizon; and to the ever present meandering soft dunes made somber by the red of the setting sun, presenting to us a surreal design. The desert is a place of the void and of vast spaces and big silences – a world so far removed from the bustle of the West that one never wants to leave.
