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Mali: Countries
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Mali is shaped a bit like a butterfly, leaning to the northwest, with a much smaller left than right wing. The larger northwestern region of the country, which extends into the Sahara, is almost entirely arid desert or semidesert. In the central region, known as the Sahel, life follows the Niger River's annual flood cycle, with high water between August and November. In the southwestern area, rainfall and rivers are more plentiful, and this region is marginally more lush than the rest of the country. Mali's single most important geographic feature is undoubtedly the great Niger River, which traverses both the Sahel and the southeastern section of the country. The Niger, like the Nile, is both a critical source of sustenance and a major transportation artery--and in this latter capacity it is an excellent venue for boat travel.
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Mali's constitution was adopted on January 12, 1992. A dictatorship had ruled Mali for years since independence; the first democratic elections were held in 1992. Later, ethnic battles tore Mali apart, but a peace agreement was adopted in 1995. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world.
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Thanks to its rich and ancient past, Mali has become a country of great ethnic diversity with nearly two dozen different ethnic groups living within its borders. The main groups are the Mande (including the Bambara, Malinke, Soninke, Mandinka, Mende, Susu, Dialonke, and Dyula), Peul (or Fulani), Voltaic, Songhay, Tuareg, and Moor. Some other groups include the Dogon, Bozo, and Bobo. The single largest ethnic group is the Bambara ... known as Bamana. This name recalls the era when the influence of Islam was spreading through Africa, yet this group of rural farmers refused to convert to a new religion and kept alive their traditional way of life. Bambara means “infidel” or barbarian as they were called by Moslems and Banmara, which they used to refer to themselves, means “accept no master.” Today, Islam is the main religion in Mali, accounting for around 90 percent of the population.
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Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert, and several prolonged periods of drought occurring there over the last century. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River. 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. Pottery is ... practiced by women whose wares are bought by dealers and are transported to markets where they are sold by traders. The traditional methods used by the potters are an attraction to foreign tourists.
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Mali is a land-locked country in West Africa. Formerly a French colony, Mali became independent in 1960 and was organized initially as a socialist country and then was ruled by a military dictatorship. Recently, Mali has become a stable, secular Muslim democracy. Mali is home of many ethnic groups, for example, Malinke, Bambara, Peul (... known as Filani or Fula), Songhai, Tuareg, Dogon, Bobo, Senoufo, and nomadic Mauritani. Mali stretches north and north east into the Sahara Desert and south and south west to equatorial rainforest. Chief exports include mangoes, cotton, music, fabric, dry hibiscus flowers (for tea), and organic green beans.
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In the wake of the reforms set in motion since 1991, Mali is a popular destination for aid funds. On a national level, it is seen as a ‘deserving cause’, which can be relied upon to spend aid dollars responsibly. And on a local level, the stable political context makes it possible for donors and NGOs to commit to long-term sustainable development projects in Mali’s towns and rural communities. For instance, Save the Children in Kolondiéba, in the south of the country, are committed to a 15-year literacy and capacity-building project. The locally-organised NGO ADAC, in partnership with Britain’s International Service, co-ordinates savings and micro-credit banks for women across a large stretch of Mali’s cotton belt, and Oxfam have for some time now been involved in an array of similar activities, as well as small-scale community-based projects to help inhabitants of the north become more able to survive periods of drought and reconstruction.
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