What did they make for fun?

The country of Mali had many different forms of art, but all of the ancient traditional art pieces had a day to day purpose or meaning and were usually linked back to religion, health, harmony in the village, or agriculture work. Mali has had a lot of rich art throughout the history of the country, and this week’s post will highlight some of the main types. 

One form of art that is commonly seen around Mali is different types of cloth. Wedding blankets are usually blue indigo cloths from the village of Tuareg and are sold all around the country of Mali. Jewelry is also an important part of art and is worn by both men and women. Gold is the predominant material of jewelry in Mali. In fact some of the more wealthy people wear 14 carat gold earrings that are so big and heavy that they have to be wrapped with red wool or silk near the top to protect the ear!

Another major type of art in Mali is wood carving. Wooden sculptures are a major part of this and are naturalistic in nature. Gender is extremely important in the Mali culture so when a wooden sculpture is made, the size of body parts is emphasized so it is very obvious which gender the sculpture is supposed be. Masks are another important part of wood carving. It is believed that when a person dies the spirit of the person dwells in a mask. Exquisite wooden doors, locks, and other house identifiers are also made for the mud buildings of the wood carvers.

Other forms of art in Mali include music and storytelling. Music in Mali consists of many rhythms and tunes at the same time. They use many instruments including flutes, strings and drums. The drums were also used for communication and come in many different shapes and sizes. Storytellers were called griots and were usually the village entertainers, historians, or genealogists. They would usually tell stories about the great leaders of Mali as well as life events of the people in the village. One of the greatest stories and one that has become quite famous is about Sundjata (the founder of the Mali empire) or as he is better known “the Lion King”.

Mali has a rich history and many pieces of art, music, and stories come from this rich history. Mali’s unique culture and country events played a role in the making of all of this art, and should be cherished and studied for many years to come.

Reference

http://mali.pwnet.org/culture/culture_arts.htm

What does Mali look like?

Mali is located in the northwestern quadrant of the African continent. Mali covers almost 1.25 million kilometers of land, and is about twice the size of Texas. There are two major cities in Mali: Bamako and Timbuktu. Bamako is the largest city in Mali and is also the capital city. It is located at 12.6500 N, 8.0000 W on a coordinate map. Timbuktu was a major city for the trade route during the Middle Ages and was also a major Islamic center in Mali. In fact, anyone who was not of Muslim faith was banned from the city during this time. Timbuktu is now known as “the city in the middle of nowhere” (www.enchantedlearning.com). Timbuktu is located at 16.7758 N, 3.0094 W on the coordinate map.

Mali has an interesting dynamic when it comes to climate. Half of Mali is covered by the Sahara desert, and the desert grows bigger each year. Mali’s climate is one that is subtropical meaning it is a warm but dry climate. Because this climate is so dry, it makes it difficult to grow many crops; only two to four percent of Mali’s land is capable of producing farm crops. However, 70-80 percent of Malians make their living through farming and/or fishing. Mali does have one major river that runs East to West through it, and then another one that runs on its border with Senegal. The major river is the Niger River, and this is the river where most of the water, transportation, and fishing benefit the nation. The Senegal River is a natural divider between Mali and Senegal and is a source of protection to Mali from the people of Senegal.

Mali is a fascinating country and many people do not know much about this amazing country. This blog will help explain important facts about Mali and what makes this country unique and different from other African countries.

References

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/africa/mali/