CultureGramsTM Republic of World Edition 2014

From the seventh to the nineteenth centuries, parts of Mali BACKGROUND were ruled by the kings of the Ghana, Malinke, Songhai, Bambara, Peulh, and Toucouleur Empires. The Songhai Land and Climate Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries covered twice the Area (sq. mi.): 478,841 territory of modern Mali. In the 14th century, Mali was the Area (sq. km.): 1,240,192 richest and largest West African empire. The city of Timbuktu was a center of Islamic learning, and Malians Mali, the seventh largest country in Africa, is about the size proudly remember this history through tale and song. of South Africa and twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas. Colonization and Independence Mali's north is in the southern Sahara Desert. In central Mali, By the early 1900s, nearly all of Africa was colonized by the semiarid Sahel region has limited vegetation, mostly in European powers. Mali was a French colony (called French the form of bushes and a few trees. Together, desert or Sudan) until 1960, when it gained independence under a semidesert regions cover 70 percent of the country. Some socialist government led by Modibo Keita. southern areas, with a subtropical climate, have abundant Military Coup and Transition to Democracy vegetation and mango groves. The fertile Niger River area is In 1968, a military coup brought Moussa Traoré to power as home to most of Mali's economic activity. During the dry president. In 1979, Traoré added civilians to his cabinet and season, Malians plant vegetable gardens by the river. formed a political party called the Democratic Union of the Environmental issues like silting and water pollution affect People of Mali (UDPM).Traoré continued as the country's the Niger River's role as a vital water source. Bamako, the president and general secretary of the UDPM. When popular nation's capital and largest city, is a major regional trading demonstrations in 1991 were met with Traoré's orders to center positioned on the Niger River in Mali's southwest. The shoot civilians, Lt. Colonel Amadou Toumani Touré rebelled river's northern delta is submerged annually. and arrested Traoré. The UDPM was disbanded and Traoré Mali has three seasons. Temperatures average 81°F (27°C) was convicted of ordering the deaths of the protesters. during the rainy season (June–). Humidity is lower The popular Touré quickly worked to establish civilian but temperatures are higher in the north, where rainfall is rule through elections in 1992. In that same year, voters minimal. The "cold" season (October–February) is dry; approved a new constitution, elected a , temperatures average 77°F (25°C). In the hot season and elected Alpha Oumar Konaré as president. Konaré was (–May), daily highs can exceed 100°F (33°C). reelected in 1997 to a second and final term. After Konaré stepped down in 2002, Touré won the presidency in a hotly History contested election. Touré was reelected in April 2007. Early Empires and the Northern Mali Conflict

1 TM CultureGrams Mali During his presidency, Konaré, had negotiated with Tuareg west. The Soninké, also called Sarakolé, usually work as rebels and organized a burning ceremony of their weapons, tradesmen and live in the northwest near Mauritania. They which had temporarily put an end to a recurrent rebellion. can also be found in several other West African nations. However, within months of Touré's 2007 reelection, he had to Ethnicity usually determines a person's location within the deal with a Tuareg uprising. The Tuareg are nomads who country, as well as occupation. The Fulani (who are also follow their herds through Mali, Niger, and Mauritania. known as the Peulh) are seminomadic herders who Tuareg rebels have long struggled to gain independence for traditionally inhabit the northern desert and comprise about17 their light-skinned ethnic group and have fought Mali's percent of the population. Many Fulani migrated south and governments for decades, despite several peace deals. settled in the Mopti region due to deteriorating environmental In March 2012, a Tuareg insurgency successfully pushed conditions in the north. The Songhai live in the northeast the Malian army out of several main cities, including along the Niger River, as do the Bozo, who earn their living Timbuktu. Due to increased frustrations with the from fishing in the Niger Delta. The Dogon live on and government's inability to suppress Tuareg rebel forces, a around the Bandiagara escarpment (also called the Dogon group of Malian soldiers attacked the presidential palace, the Cliffs) in towns like Koro, Douentza, and Bankass. The state television station, and military barracks, resulting in the Menianka and Senufo inhabit the southwest, along the border complete takeover of the capital, Bamako. A few weeks later, with Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. Most of the Menianka Tuareg rebels declared the occupied northern area an and Senufo are farmers. The Tuareg occupy the north and independent state called the Republic of Azawad. Under work as craftsmen and herders. international pressure, the military handed government authority back over to civilian interim president Diouncounda Language Traoré and interim prime minister Cheick Modibo Diarra. Mali's large number of languages and dialects reflects the Despite this, many believe the military still controls the ethnic diversity of the country. The official language, French, government. is spoken by government administrators and in urban areas The government's bout of instability allowed militant and is the primary language of school instruction. However, Islamists to seize most of the country's vast northern region the most widely spoken language is Bambara. Others include from Tuareg rebels. In early 2013, international forces Fulfulde, Dogon, Senufo, Malinké, Soninké, Khassonké, (French and Chadian troops) were deployed to assist Mali in Tamashek, Songhai, and Bozo. As is common in Africa, keeping Islamist militants from advancing further into the many languages are oral, with history transmitted mainly by country. In June 2013, Tuareg rebels signed a peace deal with narration from generation to generation. A special caste called Mali, allowing presidential elections to be held. Ibrahim the griot has the responsibility to recount and sing about the Boubacar Keita was elected as president in August. The past. Books are published in at least four Malian languages. government is continuing to reconstruct the country with the help of foreign aid. Religion Recent Events and Trends About 95 percent of all Malians are Muslim. Most of the rest, • Peace deal suspended: In September 2013, multiple Tuareg especially in the south and along the Dogon Cliffs, adhere to rebel groups pulled out of the cease-fire agreement with the traditional religions, which usually emphasize animism. Malian government after claiming the government has not About 2 percent are Christian, with mainly Protestant and held up its end of the accord. The cease-fire had allowed the Catholic believers. military to gain control of rebel-held northern areas and hold Islam entered Mali through the country's northern territory. national elections in 2013. Tuareg separatists want The Peulh, Sarakole, Moor, Songhai, and Tuareg ethnicities independence from a government they say does not allow have been Muslim since not long after the advent of Islam. them much political power. Foundational Islamic beliefs include recognizing that there is only one God,Allah , and declaring Muhammad to be his prophet; praying five times daily; fasting during the holy THE PEOPLE month of Ramadan; giving alms to the poor (in Mali, this is often thegaribouts , boys who attend Qur’anic schools and Population must beg for daily food); and making a pilgrimage to Mecca, Population: 15,968,882 Saudi Arabia. Population Growth Rate: 3.01% Christianity was introduced in Mali through the Kayes Urban Population: 35% region in 1855. The Bobo and Dogon areas were subject to Christianity during the colonial period. The majority of these Nearly 90 percent of Malians reside in the fertile southern two ethnicities are Christian. third of the country, while 10 percent (mostly nomadic Some Malians incorporate elements of their traditional people) live in the arid north. Of the 20 major ethnic groups, beliefs, such as using masks or totem animals and wearing gri several comprise less than 1 percent of the population. Mande gri charms (amulets used to protect a person from harm or peoples (Bambara, Malinké, and Soninké) make up half of the illness), into their religious practices. During the dry seasons, population. Of these, the Bambara constitute the largest group Muslims may gather for Friday prayers at the mosque to ask and generally populate the central and southern regions. The Allah for rain. To encourage rain for a good harvest or other second largest group is the Malinké of the southwest and events, animists select a large village tree, slaughter a sheep

2 TM CultureGrams Mali or goat, smear the animal's blood on the tree, and dance fabric as the skirt), and sandals; animist women may omit around shouting at the tree. blouses and shoes. Most married and Muslim women keep their hair covered. Northern Malian women weardampé , a General Attitudes traditional cloth used to wrap one's self. Northern ethnicities, Malians value hard work, honesty, generosity, and like the Songhai, Peulh, and Tuareg, wear turbans and dark intelligence in others. Time and schedules are often flexible, colors. allowing Malians to put individuals ahead of meetings or other obligations. Malians are usually polite and friendly. This congeniality helps ensure mutual respect among friends CUSTOMS AND COURTESIES and strangers. If they feel slighted, Malians may make unexpected, teasing comments. These remarks are usually Greetings humorous and are regarded as attempts to be nice rather than Greetings are an important aspect of Malian culture, and to offend. Malians often joke with other groups about family many consider it impolite not to greet another person. Men names or castes. These "joking cousin" remarks help maintain and women either shake right hands or (sometimes when friendly ties and calm tensions between the many groups. greeting a member of the opposite gender) clasp their own Malians are rarely confrontational and will settle differences hands and bow slightly. A man of power (such as a village through a third party. Muslims believe the will of Allah chief) will always initiate a handshake. Otherwise, a person affects all events. joining a group or entering a room initiates a handshake with Malian society is divided between three traditional classes: each adult in the room or area, beginning with the eldest or nobles, artists (including griots, or traditional orators), and most senior. One may show special respect by touching one's slaves. Though slavery is abolished, people from the slave own right elbow with the fingertips of the left hand while caste may still perform duties like cooking or skinning shaking right hands. One can also touch the right hand to the animals during ceremonies. Griots also fulfill their traditional forehead or the heart after a gentle handshake. roles, including acting as a third-party mediator between Verbal greetings vary between ethnic groups. If a person's members of different communities, facilitating social language is not known, one can greet that person in a ceremonies, and communicating or singing, in addition to commonly spoken language and the other will respond in his their daily profession. Artists may sing, while nobles are not or her own language. For example, if one person uses the allowed to sing or to speak out loud during ceremonies. French Bonjour (Good day), the other might respond with the Between similar ethnic groups, caste membership Bambara I ni ce (Hello). It is impolite not to greet someone determines one's relative social position. However, between when passing them on a path or street. Friends usually follow dissimilar groups, such as light-skinned peoples versus greetings with inquiries such as I somogo be di? (How is your dark-skinned sub-Saharan Malians, ethnicity is a family?) or Here tilena wa? (Did you have a good day?). distinguishing factor and a cause of long-standing tensions. A family name provides information about a person's Traditional roles are often more important than assumed ethnicity, caste, and geographic origins. For example, roles. A driver born as a "noble," for instance, may be more members of the artist caste may have a last name like Balo respected than a government official from a blacksmith (blacksmith for men or potter for women), Sylla (shoemaker), family. However, wealth grants social status to any or Guissé (historian). Friends generally address one another individual. by given name. Traditional moral codes remain prevalent. For example, robbery may be a reason to beat a criminal, while Gestures embezzlement of public funds (a relatively modern crime) Because the left hand is considered unclean, it is disrespectful may be pardonable. Civic alliances and individual wants for Malians to use the left hand for a handshake, to offer food come second to family loyalties. or money with it, to eat with it, or to accept anything with it. The only exception is when a close family member or friend Personal Appearance leaves on a long trip, in which case the left hand is used in a Malians place great importance on physical appearance. handshake as a special gesture to indicate the two people will Neatness and modesty are highly valued. For special see each other again. Gesturing with the index finger is occasions, Malians will wear their best clothes and gold or impolite; one points with the entire hand. To threaten a silver jewelry. Western clothing is common in urban areas, person, Malians pivot the index finger up and down. Malians although women tend to wear traditional clothing more often command people to come forward by repeatedly opening and than men. Men usually wear long pants and a shirt; young closing the hand in the direction of that person. To say boys may wear shorts before circumcision, as shorts are good-bye, Malians open and wave the right hand. Personal typically associated with childhood. Wealthy men may wear a space is limited, and people of the same gender often touch traditional bazin (a colorful, waxy fabric worn during special when conversing. One does not look an elder in the eye occasions)boubou (long and flowing embroidered robe) over during conversation. When a parent is speaking to a child, the pants and a shirt. Men usually wear sandals. child looks down and listens attentively to the parent. In rural and some urban areas, Malians may wear bogolan, a traditional cloth dyed with mud. Rural Muslim women wear Visiting long wraparound skirts, loose blouses (made from the same Visiting plays an integral part in Malian society, as it is a way

3 TM CultureGrams Mali to maintain kinship bonds and friendships. Not visiting lifestyle. Families in the south, like the Songhai, tend to have someone for an extended period of time reflects on the value large families so children may help with farming, while of the relationship. Visits between rural friends and relatives nomadic families in the north, like the Tuareg, Bozo, and occur often and usually unannounced. Evening visits can last Peulh ethnicities, have fewer children. In rural areas, the several hours. Houseguests may stay several weeks and will average number of children ranges between six and eight, bring gifts of kola nuts (a traditional symbol of respect) and while in urban areas, a couple may have four to six children. food from their home region. Polygamous families are much larger, with eighteen to twenty Guests remove their shoes before entering a room or children. The family structure in rural areas has remained stepping on a mat. Hosts offer visitors water when they enter mostly unchanged, while in urban families, sons often move a compound and give them the best seat. Hosts usually also out and live in their own homes. serve refreshments, which the guests then offer to share with Parents and Children the hosts since eating in front of others is impolite. In In rural areas, all adult family members may educate, villages, guests bring small gifts to their hosts, often including discipline, and care for any child, as children are the tea, sugar, or kola nuts. Hosts appreciate compliments on their responsibility of the whole community. Children are expected home but deny them by saying something is not too valuable, to show unconditional respect for parents. In return, parents expensive, or important out of modesty. If visitors arrive are to provide children with protection, advice, and behavioral while hosts are eating, they usually will be invited to share the instruction. Malians believe children are never too old to be food; unexpected guests might politely decline the meal. A advised by their parents. A common Malian adage says, tradition of tea drinking is common among men. They brew "Okra cannot be too tall for the one who wants to pick its three rounds of green tea mixed with sugar and drink from a fruit." small glass. This procedure is repeated several times a day. Children assume chores by age five: boys assist their Visitors to a dugutigi (village chief) show him special fathers and brothers in the field or tend the livestock; girls respect. Those who do not speak the local language (such as make flour by pounding millet and corn. Girls also look after government officials or foreigners) will not talk directly to the younger siblings and perform household chores. Most young chief but to one or more translators and intermediaries. girls learn how to cook; not doing so is considered shameful. Babies receive a lot of affection, and older children care for Eating younger ones when parents are busy working. Most Malians eat breakfast between 7 and 8 a.m., lunch at Daughters live with their parents until they get married, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and dinner around 7 or 8 p.m. Families though some young women may stay with relatives while traditionally eat their meals together from communal bowls. looking for a spouse. The oldest son becomes the chief of the The male head of the family determines which groups eat family when the father passes away. Adult sons often work from one of several bowls. For example, men and boys may outside the home village to help support their families and are share one bowl, and small children and/or women share valued over other children for their efforts. Young women another. Marital status and age also determine eating patterns. may work as housemaids so they can purchase personal items. Adult men and women seldom eat from the same bowl. In Gender Roles urban areas, some families may not eat together. Wealthy Men are considered the head of the home and the main families eat their meals with a spoon and often other utensils, decision makers. Men are responsible for providing for the but eating food with the right hand is most common and needs of the family, paying the bills, and making repairs to traditional. Both rural and urban Malians drink out of the home. Women take care of the cleaning, cooking, and calabashes (large gourds) with a ladle. child rearing. Rural women often maintain the home as well as work in the fields. A growing number of women are pursuing employment LIFESTYLE outside the home as small business owners, selling produce, milk, shea butter, and even art. Urban women are able to Family work at stores, salons, and sewing or fabric-dyeing Structure workshops. Some women also work in government offices. In Mali, the family is more important than the individual, and Women who have careers outside the home often hire maids family members support each other on a daily basis. Extended to assist them in the housework. Few women hold leadership family is obligated to help other family members in need, no positions, as many men are unwilling to recognize women as matter how distant the relationship. Men work together in a their superiors. Despite women's increasing role in the public communal field and may tend to their personal fields when sphere, women remain underemployed. Women also have the shared work is done. All brothers are involved in decision limited access to education and are sometimes victims of making. The family or clan chief's authority is incontestable. domestic violence, though abuse is socially unacceptable. Most families consist of the father, mother(s), uncles and their wives, sons and their wives, and children. After Housing marriage, young women live with the husband's family. Rural Urban families are generally smaller, composed of a father, In rural areas, extended families live in large compounds, mother(s), children, and sometimes cousins. often with young married couples and young single men Family size varies by the family's ethnicity, location, and living in their own annexed hut, or du fitini, next to the

4 TM CultureGrams Mali compound. Compounds contain houses for each nuclear separate the two rooms. In rural areas, male children age 15 to family, as well as cooking huts (gwabougu), storage huts, 20 do not usually live in the shared compound. Instead, they granaries, and a well, all surrounded by a wall. The design of live in rooms they share with other male relatives or friends. the houses varies by region: in the south, houses are usually Bathrooms are usually built in front of the boys' room. The square; in the north, houses tend to be round. All houses are well is usually built in the middle of the compound. made of bricks comprised of straw, manure, and mud, which Home Ownership are covered in another layer of mud used as plaster. Roofs are In Mali, men are the primary homeowners. Home ownership made of corrugated tin or sticks covered with mud. These is considered a great personal achievement, as homeowners structures suffer great damage during the rainy season; each are considered successful. Malian men usually build only one year, owners must re-thatch leaky roofs and rebuild walls. house in their lifetime. Most men do not take out loans from Interior walls are usually painted a shade of blue and banks to build their homes but instead build them little by decorated with calendars and posters of famous people. Few little over a span of several years. Wealthy men usually hire modern conveniences are available, and homes tend to be professional builders to construct their homes. In rural areas, furnished simply with bamboo or wood chairs, a small table building a home is less expensive and easier because there is in the middle of the room, a bamboo bed, and a radio. more land available. In the urban areas, the majority of the Bedrooms may also contain mats for sleeping and mosquito population rents apartments. Some wealthy businessmen, nets. Electrical power comes from generators, purchased by a Malians living abroad, and government employees own group of villagers, or solar energy. multiple homes; however, few urban or rural Malians own Urban more than one home. In urban areas, a compound may consist of several apartments surrounding a central courtyard with a well. Slums usually Dating and Marriage grow on the edges of cities. Urban homes are smaller than Dating and Courtship rural homes, having between two and four bedrooms located Dating precedes most marriages in urban as well as rural close together. Most bedrooms have one large bed in the areas. Many Malian youth begin dating between the ages of corner, a nightstand next to the bed, a wardrobe on the 15 and 16, though some couples may be more secretive about opposite wall, and a coat rack near a vanity. Bedroom doors their relationships than others. Couples may meet at school, at open onto a corridor that leads to the living room. Bathrooms social gatherings, at work, or on the streets in their are either located inside or outside the home. Living rooms neighborhoods. Relationships begin after the young man has are usually carpeted and contain armchairs, a small table, and secured the girl's affection, and the couple begins to see each a TV. Most urban kitchens have a refrigerator, and wealthy other in one-on-one meetings. Throughout courtship, young families may have two. men offer gifts (sometimes money) to their girlfriends. Urban Houses are constructed out of cement bricks, with couples often spend time together at nightclubs, theaters, corrugated tin or concrete roofs. Home exteriors are usually concerts, and bars. painted in blue, yellow, white, or gray, as are interior walls. Islam prohibits any sexual relationships between Exterior doors and walls may have paintings of animals or unmarried men and women, and most Muslim parents geometric shapes drawn on them. Most homes have a narrow discourage their children from dating. In general, parents may courtyard containing flowers and animals. Interior walls are permit dating and courtship but discourage premarital sexual usually decorated with family photos. The majority of homes relationships, as virginity is a valued characteristic of a bride. have electricity and modern conveniences. Most romantic relationships are expected to end in marriage. Home Life Engagement In rural homes, men usually have a personal room called a When a young man decides to propose marriage, his parents tièso (Bambara for "man's room") near their bedrooms. The send agriot (a traditional orator) to speak to the parents or the tièso is where men keep their personal belongings and receive uncle of the young woman. This practice is common in both and entertain male visitors. Visitors may also be hosted rural and urban areas, though urban couples are more likely to outside in the courtyard. Urban homes are often not large have dated before the proposal. If the parents are willing to enough to have a tièso, so men use the family's public living offer their daughter to the suitor, they will discuss the dowry room to host houseguests. Everyone in the family shares the amount with the griot. living room. The kitchen is the domain of the women, and Dowry prices vary by ethnicity and region. In northern most men do not enter the kitchen. Women tend to spend the Mali, the Songhai ask for two cows and a large amount of daytime working in the main compound and the nighttime in money (500,000 CFA francs, or US$1,000), while in Fulfulde their annexed compound. areas the dowry is four cows and 50,000CFA francs The space in rural and urban homes is similarly divided. (US$100). In Bambara, especially in rural villages, dowries Parents usually have their own bedroom, male and female tend to be less expensive (50,000CFA francs and two goats). children have separate rooms, and if the grandmother lives In Bamako, a cosmopolitan city where different ethnicities with her son, she may share a room with young children live, the dowry may be between 125,000 and 175,000 CFA between the ages of 5 and 10. The father may sleep in the francs (US$250 to $350) and a basket of kola nuts. Mothers main room as a protector. Girls' rooms are usually located provide a trousseau, or a gift of bowls, bed sheets, curtains for close to the parents' room. Boys' rooms tend to be built apart the doors and windows, an oven, a cooking pot, and all the from the parents' and girls' rooms; the kitchen may also utensils, for their daughters. During the dry season, some

5 TM CultureGrams Mali rural young women move to the cities to work and earn grain grilled with peanut powder and served with an onion, enough to help their mothers buy the trousseau. eggplant, and beef soup). People are given soda to drink. In the Bwa area, engagements begin when a young man Musical groups and singers are often invited to perform for "kidnaps" a young woman, after obtaining her consent, and guests, who usually give the performers money for praising hides her in his uncle's or another relative's home. The young them in their music. Men and women usually celebrate woman's parents are then notified of the proposal and are separately; men drink tea while women dance together. offered gifts of fabric or money. If they accept the gifts, it Elderly guests wear traditional clothing such as bazin (a means they consent to the engagement. colorful, waxy fabric worn during special occasions). Men In rural areas, engagements may last nine months to one wear embroidered, long-sleeveboubou (long, flowing robes) year: couples get engaged by the end of the rainy season and pants, while women wear skirts or embroidered (September), and before the new rainy season (June) the short-sleeve bazin boubou. Young men usually wear wedding takes place. Urban engagements may last longer. Western-style coats, shirts, and pants. Marriage in Society Divorce Marriage is a valued institution that provides men and women In the past, divorce was not common, but that is changing. with a way to change their social status. Marriage is believed Divorce is more common in urban areas than rural areas. to be one of the most important events in a person's life. Though divorce is viewed as a couple's inability to overcome Married individuals are considered more reliable and hardship, divorced women usually receive the majority of the trustworthy than single people. In rural areas, men usually blame for the marriage's failure and are more stigmatized than marry in their mid-twenties, and women marry in their mid- men. Relatives often try to reconcile the couple before to late teens. Urban men tend to marry later in life, in their divorce is considered. In northern Mali, the stigma of divorce late twenties to mid-thirties, after they have achieved is less severe. Most divorced men and women try to marry financial stability; urban women marry in their mid- to late again as soon as they can. twenties, after they have completed their education. Men prefer to marry as soon as they are financially able. Women Life Cycle look forward to marriage and hope to have a good husband Birth and family-in-law. Family members may become worried Traditions and ceremonies surrounding the birth of a child about young men if they wait too long to marry. vary by ethnicity, religion, and region. Pregnancy is not Traditionally, marriages were arranged by the parents in announced publically, and women tend to wait until they are May, about a month before the rainy season. In northern Mali, further along before having their mothers or a close relative parents still arrange and sometimes force their children into announce it to a group of female relatives. After the marriage. Today, love between the couple and a woman's pregnancy is announced, women sing together, and then the consent are becoming more important than the will of the father slaughters a goat or chicken and cooks the entrails to family when initiating marriage. However, one's social status, feed to the expectant mother. ethnicity, and religion also play a role in whom someone can Due to limited access to healthcare facilities, most women marry. For example, a Muslim woman cannot marry a do not receive prenatal care during their pregnancy, especially Christian man, and a noble cannot marry a griot. in rural areas. Women care for themselves by avoiding certain Polygamy is a cultural custom prevalent in both villages foods, like snake and fish. Pregnant women are encouraged and cities. Animists may marry as many wives as they would not to eat, bathe, or sleep outside late at night. like, while Muslims are allowed four wives. Because of After giving birth, women have 40 days to recover, during financial concerns, most men prefer monogamy. However, which they are cared for by their mothers. The new mother's some men marry more wives so they may gain more respect. sister or cousin may also move in to help with housework. Marriages between cousins are commonly practiced by the Friends and relatives visit the mother and newborn as soon as Songhai, Peulh, and southern Malians. they can, bringing soup and wishing the child a long life. Weddings Women may take 14 weeks (6 weeks before the birth and 8 In Mali, there are three types of wedding ceremonies: civil, weeks after) of paid maternity leave from their jobs. Fathers religious, and traditional. In urban areas, all ceremonies are have one day's leave upon the birth of a baby. Usually they celebrated on the same day. Rural weddings focus more on use the leave to assist their wives and to inform their relatives traditional celebrations. A typical wedding day, usually a and friends about the birth of the baby. Thursday or Sunday, starts around 8:30 a.m., when guests Because of a high rate of infant mortality, some parents meet at the groom's home and accompany the bride and may wait until they believe the child will survive before they groom to the mayor's office. In the afternoon, the religious give it a name. A naming ceremony is then held. Muslim wedding is held at a mosque, and the traditional wedding Malians invite animam (Muslim religious leader) to come celebration follows. early in the morning and preside over the naming ceremony Most wedding celebrations last a whole week, though seven days after birth. The imam reads from the Qur’an Peulh celebrations last three days. Depending on the social (Muslim holy book) and announces the name of the baby, and financial position of the bride and groom's families, which the parents choose before the ceremony. Some parents wedding festivities vary. Wealthy families organize large may ask theimam to choose a name, which is often taken parties with lots of food, like zamè (cooked red rice served from the Qur’an, according to the day on which the baby was with vegetables and beef) and juka (a brown, couscous-like born. After the name is given to the baby, the father sacrifices

6 TM CultureGrams Mali a ram or goat, and the imam shaves the baby's head. The deceased person's home. Funerals usually last a few hours, mother of the baby buys silver equivalent to the weight of the and relatives may stay with the deceased's family for one to hair to make a bracelet for the baby. The bracelet is believed five weeks. to provide good luck and protection throughout the baby's On the seventh and fortieth days after a death, Muslims life. gather to remember the deceased at a "ceremony of sacrifice." Animist families do not hold a naming ceremony but may Guests are served kola nuts, candies, beans, and porridge invite friends and relatives over for a party, depending on the while theimam reads verses from the Qur’an. Muslim father's financial situation. Fathers choose their newborn's widows observe a fourth-month mourning period, during name after consulting with close relatives. Most children are which they wear blue. During times of mourning, other named after the family's dearest relatives and friends. The occasions like naming ceremonies and weddings are first son is often named after his grandfather and the daughter celebrated more simply. after her grandmother. Those babies named after their When an animist passes away, the burial ceremony takes grandparents have nicknames, like Ina, Aba, Papa, Maa, and place as soon as the relatives are present. The body is Mamy, and keep the nicknames throughout their adulthood. displayed, and friends and relatives pay their final respects In some Bambara animist areas, if a woman gives birth to too and may speak about the good deeds of the deceased person. many stillborn boys, she and her husband take an oath to During this ceremony, guests give money and chickens to the name their babies after inanimate objects or sacred trees. family of the deceased. If the deceased was a hunter, his Milestones friends organize a big party at night, during which they speak Socially, girls are considered adults at age 16, and boys at age about his qualities and good deeds. While they are speaking 18. Legally, they are considered adults at age 18. Birthdays about him, they fire rifles in the air. If the person was the are celebrated by girls more than boys and are similar to oldest family member or an important person in the Western birthday traditions, including cake, friends, and community, one to three cows may be slaughtered in his singing. Young men may also enter adulthood by attending honor. Animists hold commemoration parties on the initiation ceremonies into secret societies. anniversary of the death of a loved one. Traditionally, boys between the ages of 14 and 17 were initiated into adulthood through circumcision ceremonies. In Diet the past, boys would go live at an elder's home, where they The staples of a Malian diet are millet and corn. A thick were taught how to become reputable men in society. After porridge calledtô is prepared using millet, corn, or sorghum healing, the young men returned home and married in that flour and is dipped in a peanut, vegetable, or meat sauce. same year. Old women gathered at the houses of the Tigadegena (peanut butter sauce) is popular, and meat sauces circumcised boys and danced and sang to express their joy for made of goat, sheep, beef, or chicken might be prepared on the boy's entry into manhood. During this celebration, the special occasions.Dègè , a traditional sugary porridge, is also father slaughtered a goat. Today, many young men are eaten.In the north, milk, dates, and wheat are important circumcised for cultural and religious reasons. Circumcision foods. In northern and eastern Mali,tiordi (rice cooked with is seen as a purifying act and is recommended by Islam. dry fish and spices) is eaten by wealthier families or at Despite campaigns against female genital mutilation and celebrations. In rural areas, rice is often expensive and only its effects on a young woman's reproductive system, many eaten by wealthy families.Basi (couscous) is usually eaten for rural and some urban Malians still practice female dinner. For special occasions, fonio (a type of grain used to circumcision. The events surrounding a girl's circumcision are make couscous, bread, and cakes),zamè (cooked red rice similar to a boy's: elderly women organize dancing parties, served with vegetables and beef), and juka (a brown, and the parents kill a goat during the celebrations. All girls of couscous-like grain grilled with peanut powder and served the same age are usually circumcised in the same year. When with an onion, eggplant, and beef soup) may be prepared for they are circumcised, they stay together with the circumciser guests. until they heal. Some community health centers also perform Malnutrition is widespread in Mali. During the "hungry circumcisions. season" (July–August), when food stores are depleted and Death new crops are not ready to harvest, people rely on fresh When a Muslim dies, the body is washed, wrapped in a white mangoes and wild fruits to supplement scant meals. Bananas, cloth, and buried soon after death. Old men wash the body of guavas, pineapples, watermelons, and oranges are also a deceased man, while old women wash the body of a available. deceased woman. Young men are charged with digging the grave as family members gather at the home of the deceased. Recreation Men cry silently while women scream and wail, alerting Sports neighbors that there has been a death in the family and they The most popular sport in Mali is soccer. Almost every should offer their condolences. A funeral procession carries village and city has a soccer team that takes part in local and the body to the cemetery, where relatives pray for the national competitions. Soccer is an inexpensive spectator deceased. Women and children are not allowed to attend the sport that provides people the opportunity to sit together and funeral. At the cemetery, four close relatives lay the body talk while watching the game. Some soccer matches are down in the grave and cover it with mud bricks. The grave is organized between schools in the same area. Children enjoy then filled with dirt, and the funeral procession returns to the playing soccer in and out of school. Large groups of 20 to 25

7 TM CultureGrams Mali children may pool their resources and purchase one ball for characterized by its carefully made designs and colors. Mud games. painted on specially primed fabric creates the bogolan (mud Basketball, handball, tennis, volleyball, martial arts, and cloth), which is often worn in rural areas and only cycling are enjoyed by some urban Malians. Rural women occasionally in urban areas. Wood carving is a prominent folk rarely play sports, but urban women sometimes do. art, and Malians make exquisitely carved wooden masks. Traditional sports include wrestling, horse racing (soboli), Although masks are used in some areas for animist traditions, and canoe racing (kurunboli), which are enjoyed during they are primarily produced for the tourist market. holidays. Leisure Holidays Malians often meet together at social clubs, calledgrins , to National holidays include New Year's Day (1 Jan.), Army relax, drink tea, and chat with friends.Grins often serve as Day (20 Jan.), Martyrs' Day (26 Mar.), Labor Day (1 May), homes away from home or support groups for their members. and Independence Day (22 Sept.). Islamic religious holidays Urban Malians may go out to bars, cinemas, concerts, and like Ramadan (the Islamic holy month of fasting),Tabaski restaurants for entertainment. Women usually prefer visiting ( commemorating the prophet Abraham's willingness friends, staying home, or listening to music. Urban women to sacrifice his son), and al- al-Nabawi (Muhammad's attend concerts and cultural events like the Balani Show, a birthday) follow the lunar calendar and change dates street party organized by young women where they dance to accordingly. Most Muslim Malians adjust their work the rhythms of traditional and modern music. Rural girls, ages schedules during the month ofRamadan so they can celebrate eight to fifteen, also enjoy dancing at organized moonlit with family. In cities, and Monday are dances (teguèrètulon) where they can socialize with girls their observed as days off from work. In animist areas, festivals same age. associated with the seasons are celebrated with mask dancing. Older men often play cards or checkers. During the hot New Year's season, Malians relax under trees; youth enjoy swimming in In Mali, New Year's Eve and Day festivities are similar to rivers. Rural youth like to hunt and fish. Rural children create Western celebrations. This holiday is mainly celebrated by games using sticks, stones, and used tires. Schoolchildren the younger generation. People stay awake all night and wish play games similar to Western games like hide-and-seek and each other well when midnight arrives. Rural youth celebrate capture the flag (drapeau). by organizing parties with food and all-night dancing. Vacation Women usually prepare meals of chicken and plantains or Most Malians do not take vacations, though children often get potatoes for the occasion. time off during holidays. During school breaks, children are Tabaski sent to visit uncles and aunts or grandparents. The children Tabaski, also known asEid al-Adha, honors Abraham for his help in the fields, listen to stories from their grandmothers, willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael and is one of the most and play games. This time is meant to strengthen ties between widely celebrated holidays in Mali. Tabaski is a three-day extended family. Children of wealthy Malians are able travel feast celebrated on the 10th day of the 11th month of the to different countries. Islamic (lunar) calendar. During this holiday, Muslims gather together to pray at the mosque, feast, and visit with one The Arts another. After prayers at the mosque, the head of the family Music and dance are a fundamental part of daily life. Most purchases a sheep or goat, which is then sacrificed and the players of traditional music belong to a caste called jélé. Each meat and liver are prepared to eat. Women barbecue and of Mali's regions has its own instruments and musical makezamè (red rice and vegetables or meat) andfonio (a type tradition. For example, in southern Mali thebalophone (a of grain used to make couscous, bread, and cakes) with lots of large wooden instrument similar to a xylophone) is meat. Young men make tea, while most of the other family traditional. Balophones are handcrafted from a specific type members drink Coke. of wood, andbalophone players are respected in villages for After lunch in the afternoon, adults pay visits to their their skill. In the Kayes region, thetam tam andtambours parents, relatives, neighbors, friends, and colleagues and wish (African drums) are commonly played. Thengoni (lute) is a them a happy Tabaski. Children may also go door to door to traditional instrument in the Segou region. Northern regions wish their neighborsSanbé-Sanbé (Good feast of Tabaski). play stringed instruments and the calabash (a large gourd). Neighbors then offer children candies, cookies, or coins. Many of Mali's musical forms come from the Malinké Urban families go to the cinema or to concerts in the tradition, where women are often the singers. However, afternoon. In rural areas, people organize parties where they Malians have mixed traditional and Western forms of music, can dance and listen to music.Tabaski is a busy and such as the blues and Latin rhythms, with great success. sometimes financially stressful time for parents. Women do a Malian musicians have become internationally renowned, lot of cleaning, and men spend between 30,000 and 250,000 many having relocated to France to sign with recording CFA francs (US$60 to $500) on a ram and must purchase labels. new clothes for each member of the family. Considered an architectural wonder, the city of Djenné is Independence Day built of dried bricks covered in mud-based plaster, the Every year on 22 September, Malians celebrate the day in primary elements of traditional Malian architecture. The art of 1960 when their country gained independence from France. weaving, much of which is done by a weaver caste, is During this national holiday, the government pays for

8 TM CultureGrams Mali decorations to be put up in different cities. Malian flags line all the main streets, and tree trunks are colored white. Economy In the capital city of Bamako, the Boulevard of GDP (PPP) in billions: $17.35 Independence is the site for celebrations. A large military GDP (PPP) per capita: $1,100 parade is held, and celebrations are broadcast on television. In each village, families go to the village's public place to watch Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, and most of its parades and visit exhibits on their culture and traditional people have little ability to change their circumstances. The music. The village with the best exhibit is awarded a prize. average wage earner cares for 10 people; saving money is Youth usually collect money to organize parties on the night almost impossible. Eighty percent of the labor force is before Independence Day. During these parties, youth listen employed in agriculture; however, most of this is for to music, dance, eat, and stay up all night. subsistence alone. Harvests are often affected by drought, locusts, and certain kinds of weeds, and food surpluses are rare. Wage earners usually are government employees, such SOCIETY as teachers. Mali's natural resources are limited to small deposits of Government gold, limestone, uranium, and other minerals. There is little Head of State: Pres. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita industry, and the government and foreign corporations control Head of Government: Interim PM Diango Cissoko most enterprises. Mali's main exports include cotton, cattle, Capital: Bamako gold, and peanuts. Small enterprises are growing, but the purchasing power of the domestic market is limited. Many Structure small local efforts have succeeded in extending loans to Mali is a multiparty democracy. The president is head of women entrepreneurs and in raising revenue to build and staff state; a prime minister is head of government. The president primary schools. The country benefits from international aid is elected by popular vote to a maximum of two five-year and development projects. Mali uses the currency common to terms and appoints the prime minister. Mali's legislative francophone African countries, the CFA franc (XOF). branch is the 160-seat unicameral National Assembly. Of this number, 147 members are elected by popular vote to five-year Transportation and Communications terms, and the remaining 13 are selected by a separate poll to Internet Users (per 100 people): 2 represent Malians living abroad. A Supreme Court is the final Cellular Phone Subscriptions (per 100 people): 68 court of authority. Local decisions are made by village elders, Paved Roads: 19% who often consult under a tree until a consensus is reached. District chiefs are elected. Travel by road is difficult since the only paved road connects Political Landscape the regional capitals. Most rural roads are unpaved and In 2012, due to the handling of the Tuareg rebellion in the passable only in the dry season. From August to December, northern part of Mali, a coup toppled the democratically the Niger River is usually navigable by larger ships. Canoes elected president. A military junta seized power but and small craft such as the pinasse, a covered motorized eventually relinquished control, restoring the constitution and canoe, navigate the river year-round. Buses link major cities, giving power to the leader of the National Assembly. but outlying areas are usually only accessible by pickup International donors have pledged significant funds to assist trucks or vans (called SOTRAMA) that carry passengers and in the rebuilding of government institutions. their cargo. SOTRAMA vans are the most affordable and Many political parties are active in Mali. The Front for travel on fixed routes. Few Malians own cars, as they are Democracy and the Republic (FDR) coalition is critical of the expensive and considered a luxury. Most Malians get around government and its ability to transition after the coup. In on bikes, on mopeds, or on foot. Rural Malians may travel by contrast, the African Solidarity for Democracy and donkey cart. Mali has two international airports and many Independence (SADI) party supported the military coup municipal airports throughout the country. leaders. The current government is tasked with restoring the Television broadcasts can be received in most regions, but rule of law and reconstructing Mali's fractionalized military. access to a television and electricity is limited in rural areas. Government and the People Programs are mostly in French. Radio broadcasts, a main The constitution provides for the protection of freedom of source of news, are in local languages. Several state and speech, assembly, association, religion, and education, which private daily newspapers are in circulation. Though once are generally respected. However, some freedoms are considered the freest press environment in Africa, Malian currently infringed upon, as many journalists, activists, and journalists and publications are often subject to government individuals do not enjoy their former rights because of the censorship. Telephone connections are generally good but not country's political instability. Though past elections have extensive, and landlines are used more by organizations than been considered free and fair by international observers, by individual families. Due to the inexpensive cost of SIM Malians commonly associate elections with fraud. Distrust of cards and cellular phones, many Malians own cellular phones. politicians is a common sentiment among most Malians. Only a small percentage of the population has internet access. Voter turnout is usually low but has increased since earlier Social media is growing in popularity among intellectuals and elections. The voting age is 18. students and is accessed mostly by cellular phone users. Mail

9 TM CultureGrams Mali is delivered to postal and government offices, not to homes. are low. Rural people often send mail with travelers going in the School Life letter's intended direction. In primary schools, mathematics, history, geography, natural sciences, and French are the main subjects. In secondary Education school, students study the same subjects as primary school but Adult Literacy: 27.7% have the option to study a second language, like Arabic, Mean Years of Schooling: 2 English, German, Russian, or Spanish. French has long been the language of instruction, though many national languages Structure are being used in schools as well. In rural areas, students with Children between the ages of three and five begin their varying learning levels study in the same class. education at preschool. Children attend primary school at age Teaching style is based on memorization, and students six and continue for nine years. Secondary schools are may be asked to recite previous lessons in front of the class. divided into two levels: lycée and vocational school. Students Most Malian students do not study outside of school unless it must take theDiplome d'Etudes Fondamentales (DEF) exams is for an upcoming exam. Students are evaluated by monthly to be admitted into secondary school. While lycée students are (in first to sixth grade) or quarterly exams (in seventh to ninth oriented toward higher education and prepare to take the grade). Cheating on exams is widespread, despite being baccalaureate exam, which qualifies them for admittance into socially unacceptable. Parents are rarely involved in their a university, vocational students study subjects like children's education beyond enrolling children in school and agriculture, carpentry, secretarial studies, and public works. paying school fees. Aunts and uncles may be more involved Some children (mostly boys) attend Qur’anic schools during in the child's education than the natural mother and father. their school vacations, so they may learn how to read verses Students address their teacher as Monsieur (French for from theQur’an (Muslim holy book). Unlike Qur’anic "Mr.") or Madame (French for "Mrs."). In the past, the schools, madrasahs are private schools that follow a formal student-teacher relationship was based on fear and respect. curriculum and teach Arabic. Today, students are less formal with their teachers and may Primary and secondary school education is mandatory, joke and socialize with them outside of school. Mali has more though not officially enforced. Parents are responsible for male teachers than female teachers, as men have more higher sending their children to school. Education is free from education opportunities. primary school through the university level. Though Higher Education education is free, public and private schools charge fees for Admission into Mali's higher education institutions depends school materials. Community school fees go to pay the on a student's baccalaureate exam score. University education teacher's salary. School uniform fees may be required at is free, and the government provides students with money for certain private schools. Mali has more community and private books. Mali has two public universities: the University of schools than government schools. Public schools, as well as Bamako and the University of Segou. The University of Catholic, U.S., and French schools, serve urban areas. Rural Bamako offers bachelor degrees in a number of disciplines. Catholic or Protestant missions usually include a school. Mali also has many private universities, like Université Students must study at least two years at vocational schools to Kankou Moussa, Université Manden Boukary, and work in skilled professions. Professional training is relatively Conservatoire Bala Fasseke. rare. Few adults can read or write in French or Bambara. Private universities tend to offer a higher quality of Access education, while public universities face challenges like A rising literacy rate is linked to higher rural enrollment (43 overcrowding, lack of materials, and frequent student and percent) in locally built primary schools. However, overall teacher strikes. Students choose their majors when they are at access to education is limited by school fees and the use of university. Many students choose vocational schooling over French as the language of instruction. Other factors universities because they lack the family and financial support contributing to poor access are the lack of adequate school to attend school in large cities. materials, a shortage of competent teachers, low teacher salaries, and parents' lack of interest in their children's Health education. About 5 percent of Mali's national budget goes toward Urban Malians recognize the importance of education and healthcare services. Medical facilities and services are do their best to enroll their children in school. In rural areas, inadequate or nonexistent in much of the country. On education is a seen as a long-term investment without average, there is only one doctor for every 20,000 people. guaranteed results. Many fear their children will spend 12 Clinics often are without staff or supplies. Hospitals in the years studying but will not be able to find a job when they regional capitals have inadequate equipment. Widespread finish. In rural areas, young women struggle to finish epidemics of malaria cause several thousand deaths each year. secondary school due to early marriages, responsibilities at HIV/AIDS, influenza, dysentery, venereal disease, guinea home, and the necessity of earning a living; urban young worm, and German measles cause frequent sickness. Yellow women are more likely to complete their education. Most fever, cholera, bilharzia, and rabies are also present. nomadic people, like the Tuareg, Arabs, Peulh, and Bozo, do Blindness is common; trachoma, a disease that can cause not enroll their children in school unless they settle in an area blindness, affects one-third of all children. Public hygiene is for a long time. Literacy rates among Mali's nomadic groups poor in urban areas, where sewage collects in open gutters.

10 TM CultureGrams Mali For most of the population, potable water is available only from deep, hand-powered pump wells.

AT A GLANCE

Contact Information Embassy of Mali, 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; phone (202) 332-2249; web site www.maliembassy.us.

Country and Development Data

Capital Bamako Population 15,968,882 (rank=66) Area (sq. mi.) 478,841 (rank=25) Area (sq. km.) 1,240,192 Human Development Index 182 of 187 countries Gender Inequality Index 141 of 148 countries GDP (PPP) per capita $1,100 Adult Literacy 36% (male); 20% (female) Infant Mortality 106.49 per 1,000 births Life Expectancy 50 (male); 52 (female) Currency CFA franc

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