The Northwest African Republic of Mali is a landlocked, with a long border with Mauritania and Algeria, and shorter borders with Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Guinea, and Senegal. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa.
Until a military coup in March of 2012, and another in December of the same year, Mali was a democratic republic. Its constitution calls for a separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, with executive power held by a president who is elected for a five-year term. The president appoints a prime minister, who serves as the head of government.
Currently, the status of its current government is uncertain and may be superseded. In January of 2012, rebels took control of northern Mali, consisting of well over half the country, and declared secession and the formation of a new state, known as Azawad. This followed an attempted coup a few months earlier. With the assistance of French troops, Malian forces were able to retake the north a year later, but its control is far from complete, and its hold over the northern part of the country is unstable.
The people of north Mali are mostly Muslims, of Sunni or Sufi orientation, while those involved in rebel activities are of the Maliki branch of Sunni Islam, who hold that consensus and opinion more than on a strict reliance on the writings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Mali was once part of several kingdoms and empires, including that of Ghana, which had control of the area from the 4th to the 11th centuries. The Mali Empire began along the upper part of the Niger River and attained the epitome of its strength in the 14th century. Islam became the dominant religion during the Mali Empire, and Timbuktu became an important center for trade, education, and culture. The Mali Empire was brought down by the Songhai Empire, which came about through an invasion by Moroccans, who made Gao their capital and were at their greatest strength in the late 15th century. The Moroccans were unable to maintain control over the region, however, and Mali broke up into several states, then devolved into anarchy by the end of the 18th century.
The early 19th century brought about a resurgence of Islam after a long period of famine, drought, locusts, and anarchy. A couple of minor Islamist empires emerged as Muslim states opposing French colonialism. However, by the end of the 19th century, the technologically superior French forces were in control. Mali renamed French Sudan, became part of the Federation of French West Africa. French rule did not last long, though. While France was distracted by two World Wars, a nationalist movement grew in Mali, let by Modibo Keita, a descendant of the Mali emperors.
In a 1958 referendum, French Sudan voted to join the French Community as an autonomous republic, joining Senegal the following year to form the Mali Federation. Within a year, its union with Senegal dissolved and, that same year, the Sudanese Republic, renamed the Republic of Mali, achieved full independence from France, severing ties with the French Community.
With Keita as president, Mali was a one-party state loyal to socialism. In 1968, Keita was overthrown in a military coup and died in prison in 1977. The years and decades that followed brought a continuation of unrest, with coups and attempted coups, interspersed with protests and disputed elections, which have continued to today. However, the government's international orientation has become more pro-Western, and its relations with the United States, in particular, have improved. Insecurity at its borders remains a significant problem.
Mali is not without natural resources, including substantial deposits of gold, uranium, kaolinite, phosphates, salt, and limestone, but it also faces problems with deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification, as well as an inadequate water supply. The country's key agricultural export is cotton, and it also grows rice, corn, tobacco, and other vegetables. About 80% of its people are employed in agriculture. Despite its natural resources, Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Approximately 90% of the people of Mali are Muslim, mostly Sunni, but Ahmadiyya, Shia, and Sufi are also present. About 5% of its population is Christian, mostly Roman Catholic, while the rest adhere to traditional African religions. Atheism is rare, and not socially acceptable.
At least fifty languages are spoken in Mali. Although French is the official language of the country, few people in the country are fluent in French. Bambara is the most commonly spoken language. Public education in Mali is free and compulsory between the ages of seven and sixteen, although actual school enrollment is low. Sankore Madrasah, one of the oldest universities in the world, is in Timbuktu. The University of Bamako is in Bamako, Mali.
Recommended Resources
Featuring twenty-five double, twin, and triple rooms, and three suites in Mopti, Mali, the hotel offers air conditioning and a fan, private bathrooms, satellite television, refrigerator, and a mosquito net, as well as an on-site restaurant and seminar or conference rooms suitable for up to fifty people. The guest accommodations are described in detail, with photographs, a list of services and amenities, rates, and contacts.
http://www.hotelflandre.com/eng/home.html
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, the non-profit healthcare group has worked to improve the quality and access to health care in Bamako, Mali, in West Africa, and has instituted several programs for maternal and child health care, including the building of a public health clinic. Its history, programs and projects, volunteer opportunities, and contacts are posted to the site.
https://www.malihealth.org/
A textile and clothing studio in Djenné, Mali, West Africa, the business is operated by a Swedish-British designer, and whose team is made up of men and women from Djenné. Presented in English and French, information about the business and its products may be found here, including photographs, a description of the production process, and highlights of its community projects assisting the Mali people.
http://malimali.org/
Situated in Mopti, Mali, the small hotel is spread through two mansions next door to one another, including a museum, the facilities are near the airport. Its eight air-conditioned rooms, six in two-family houses, and three in each of them are described and several photographs are included, along with their features and amenities, a description of its restaurant facilities, area attractions, and events, and visitor comments.
http://www.mankan-te.de/e/e_index.html
The Alliance came to Mali in 1923 and planted Christian churches all along the Niger River. As they preached the gospel, the missionaries became aware of the serious health problems facing the people of Mali, so they began treating people and setting up medical clinics, and eventually the Koutiala Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Its vision, a historical timeline, future plans, and facts about the country are stated.
http://www.koutialahospital.org/
Focusing on the historic city of Timbuktu, Mali, the site presents a history of the city, as well as the significance and condition of manuscripts, the scholars of Timbuktu, its library and university, and the condition of the city today. Other topics include information about sculpture restorations, determining the future through a lunar cycle calendar, Biblical numerology, and the science of numbers, known as Numerology.
http://www.timbuktuheritage.org/
Tombouctou Manuscripts Project
Begun in 2002, the project involves the study of the manuscript tradition of Timbuktu, Mali, a city that was a center of learning from the 13th to the 20th centuries, during which local scholars and their students recorded their scholarly work in handwritten texts, many of which have been preserved. Included is its database of texts, manuscript libraries, publications, projects, and a blog.
http://www.tombouctoumanuscripts.org/
Located in Bamako, Mali, the American embassy represents the interests of the United States in Mali. Its site publishes news and information about Mali and the United States, particularly that which speaks to the relationships between the two countries, as well as its services to Americans in Mali and to Malian citizens wishing to do business with the United States or to attend school in the US.
https://ml.usembassy.gov/
