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These slide shows and videos are from that trip and will appear as we edit the slides and the videos. To see a slide show, click on the underlined name. The show will open in a new window. To return to this page close the slide show window. The videos are hosted on YouTube.
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| Mopti is located on three islands, surrounded by the Niger and Bani Rivers. It is home to all the peoples of Mali - Bamana, Songhai, Fula, Tuareg, Moor, Bozo and Dogon. It was our base for excursions to Djenne, the Dogon Country and Timbuktu. |
Video of Mopti and Environs
| Djenne is unquestionably the most beautiful town in the Sahel. On an island for most of the year the buildings are shaped in the smooth lines of the Sudanic style, moulded from the grey clay of the surrounding plains. The Grande Mosque, built in the style of the original mosque, dominates the townscape. Each year's rains wash away the building's smooth facade and it is restored in the dry season. The beams protruding from the building serve both to support the building and as scaffolding for the annual reconstruction. |
Video of Djenne
| The Dogon people are noted for their colorful masked dance rituals and a distinctive adobe architectual style. The Dogon make their home along a 200 kilometer cliff face, the Bandiagara escarpment. |
Video of Dogon Country
Video of the Dogon Sigi Dance Ritual
| For some people when you say 'Timbuktu' it is like
the end of the world, but that is not true. I am from Timbuktu, and
I can tell you we are right at the heart of the world.
Ali Farka Toure
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| I found it neither as big nor as populated as I had
expected. Everything was enveloped in a great sadness. I was
amazed by the lack of energy, by the inertia that hung over the town ...
a jumble of badly built houses..ruled over by a heavy silence.
Rene Caille 1828
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| Today, Timbuktu is much closer to the 1828 description than to Ali Farka Toure's. We visited the town, the wonderful libraries that are engaged in saving important texts that were hidden for long years, and a Tuareg camp about 30 minutes north of town. |
Timbuktu Video
Video of a Visit to the Taureg Camp
Video of Taureg Music and Dance
| Bamako is the capital of Mali. It is a crowded city and most tourists spend little time here. We were no exception. We visited the National Museum which has an excellent collection of masks, the recycling market, where used metal is turned into all sorts of useful items, and the arts market. Bamako has a lively music scene which, unfortunately, we did not get to experience. |
Bamako Street Scene Video
Video of the Recycling Market