Conflict Hurts Mali's Tourism Industry
2024-05-25
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1Kola Bah used to earn money as a guide in Mali's historic city of Djenné, once a center of Islamic learning.
2The city is known for its large Grand Mosque of Djenné.
3The religious center has been on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list since 2016.
4The world's largest mud-brick building used to draw tens of thousands of visitors to central Mali every year.
5Now, the structure is threatened by conflict between rebels, government forces and other groups.
6Bah says the money he used to earn was enough to support his family, which now includes nine children, and to pay for a small group of cattle.
7But now, few visitors come to the city.
8Bah has been largely out of work. When he needs money, he sells some of his cattle.
9Djenné is one of the oldest towns in sub-Saharan Africa.
10It has served as a market center and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade.
11Almost 2,000 of its traditional houses still survive in the old town.
12The Grand Mosque, built in 1907 on the area of an older mosque dating back to the 13th century, is worked on every year by local people.
13The work is a ritual that brings together the entire city.
14The large, earth-colored structure requires a new layer of mud before the rainy season starts.
15Women are responsible for carrying water from the nearby river to mix with clay and rice hulls.
16This mixture is the mud used to cover the wall of the structure.
17Adding a new layer of mud is a job for men.
18The joyful ritual is a source of pride for a city that has fallen on hard times, uniting people of all ages.
19Bamouyi Trao Traoré is one of Djenné's lead builders.
20He said they worked as a team from the very start. This year's wall covering took place earlier in the month.
21"Each one of us goes to a certain spot to supervise," he said.
22"This is how we do it until the whole thing is done. We organize ourselves, we supervise the younger ones."
23Mali's conflict broke out following a coup in 2012.
24Militant groups took control of important northern cities.
25A French-led military operation pushed them out of the city centers the following year, but the success was short-lived.
26The militants regrouped and launched attacks on the Malian military, as well as the United Nations, French and other forces in the country.
27The militants publicly stated their connection to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
28Sidi Keita is the director of Mali's national tourism agency in the capital of Bamako.
29Keita said the drop in tourism was sharp following the violence.
30"It was really a popular destination," he said, describing tens of thousands of visitors a year and adding that today, tourists are rare in Mali.
31Despite being one of Africa's top gold producers, Mali ranks among the least developed nations in the world, with almost half of its 22 million people living below the national poverty line.
32Without tourism, few means are left for Malians to make a living.
33Anger over what many Malians call "the crisis" is rising.
34The country also saw two more coups since 2020, during a wave of political instability in West and Central Africa.
35Moussa Moriba Diakité is head of Djenne's cultural office, which works to save the city's heritage.
36Diakité said there are other difficulties beyond security - including illegal digs and waste disposal in the city.
37He said the office is trying to send a message that security is not as bad as it seems.
38The office also hopes to get more young people involved in the mud-covering ritual, to help the new generation recognize its importance.
39"It's not easy to get people to understand the benefits of preserving cultural heritage right away," he said.
40I'm John Russell.
1Kola Bah used to earn money as a guide in Mali's historic city of Djenné, once a center of Islamic learning. 2The city is known for its large Grand Mosque of Djenné. The religious center has been on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list since 2016. 3The world's largest mud-brick building used to draw tens of thousands of visitors to central Mali every year. Now, the structure is threatened by conflict between rebels, government forces and other groups. 4Bah says the money he used to earn was enough to support his family, which now includes nine children, and to pay for a small group of cattle. 5But now, few visitors come to the city. Bah has been largely out of work. When he needs money, he sells some of his cattle. 6Grand Mosque 7Djenné is one of the oldest towns in sub-Saharan Africa. It has served as a market center and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. Almost 2,000 of its traditional houses still survive in the old town. 8The Grand Mosque, built in 1907 on the area of an older mosque dating back to the 13th century, is worked on every year by local people. The work is a ritual that brings together the entire city. The large, earth-colored structure requires a new layer of mud before the rainy season starts. 9Women are responsible for carrying water from the nearby river to mix with clay and rice hulls. This mixture is the mud used to cover the wall of the structure. Adding a new layer of mud is a job for men. The joyful ritual is a source of pride for a city that has fallen on hard times, uniting people of all ages. 10Bamouyi Trao Traoré is one of Djenné's lead builders. He said they worked as a team from the very start. This year's wall covering took place earlier in the month. 11"Each one of us goes to a certain spot to supervise," he said. "This is how we do it until the whole thing is done. We organize ourselves, we supervise the younger ones." 12Conflict and the future 13Mali's conflict broke out following a coup in 2012. Militant groups took control of important northern cities. A French-led military operation pushed them out of the city centers the following year, but the success was short-lived. 14The militants regrouped and launched attacks on the Malian military, as well as the United Nations, French and other forces in the country. The militants publicly stated their connection to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. 15Sidi Keita is the director of Mali's national tourism agency in the capital of Bamako. Keita said the drop in tourism was sharp following the violence. 16"It was really a popular destination," he said, describing tens of thousands of visitors a year and adding that today, tourists are rare in Mali. 17Despite being one of Africa's top gold producers, Mali ranks among the least developed nations in the world, with almost half of its 22 million people living below the national poverty line. Without tourism, few means are left for Malians to make a living. 18Anger over what many Malians call "the crisis" is rising. The country also saw two more coups since 2020, during a wave of political instability in West and Central Africa. 19Moussa Moriba Diakité is head of Djenne's cultural office, which works to save the city's heritage. Diakité said there are other difficulties beyond security - including illegal digs and waste disposal in the city. 20He said the office is trying to send a message that security is not as bad as it seems. The office also hopes to get more young people involved in the mud-covering ritual, to help the new generation recognize its importance. 21"It's not easy to get people to understand the benefits of preserving cultural heritage right away," he said. 22I'm John Russell. 23Moustapha Diallo reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24___________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26cattle -- n. cows that are kept for meat or milk 27ritual - n. a series of acts done in the same way each time 28layer -- n. an amount of something that is spread over an area 29hull -- n. the outer covering of a fruit or grain 30tourism - n. the activity of traveling for fun 31benefit - n. a good or helpful effect