The word "bogolan" in the Bambara language means "made with the earth.” Bogolan is both a traditional fabric and a dyeing technique from Mali. It is a cotton canvas, handmade, with patterns in shades of yellow and black, with touches of red, brown and white. Learn more about this beautiful fabric…
Village Life: Where Old Men Gather
Mali is home to many traditions, especially in rural areas. Some of the traditions are disappearing in bigger towns but they live on in villages. Visiting a village in Mali allows people from other countries to learn many of these traditions, but even Malians who have lived in big towns for long time may be reminded of many traditions. For example, it is very common to see large, rustic public benches in villages while visiting.
Celebrating A Pending Wedding in Mali
Mali Kids Go Door-to-Door Too, But Not for Halloween!
Tradition means a lot to the Malian people! We deeply love our traditions, and many things are passed on from generation to generation such as long greetings, handshakes, and blessings. One of these traditional things that children learn very early is giving and receiving blessings during two annual feasts, Tabaski and Ramadan. Tabaski was just celebrated a the end of July, and even in the time of COVID-19, our traditions continued.
A Coup in Mali and What it Means for Students
You may have heard some concerning news out of Mali this week. Earlier in the week, Mali’s military took the nation’s President and other officials into custody. Within hours, the President resigned and turned power over to the military. The situation is still evolving rapidly, with players from around the region and world weighing in on Mali’s future. Military leaders have vowed to hold new elections soon.
Impact of Coronavirus on Living Conditions in Our Partner Villages
Just like everyone around the world, we have been working hard to understand the impact of COVID-19 on our lives and our work. All of the Mali staff or Mali Rising have been gathering information weekly from our 23 partner villages. We also recently reviewed the results of a national survey carried out in June 2020 by the Malian government in collaboration with the World Bank. I wanted to share what we understand from the national survey and discuss how that information may affect our future work.
Language in Mali
Research Intern Looks At COVID-19 in Mali
After School Chores in Mali Are a Little Different
One of the sources of income for Mali Rising’s Girls Project girls and their mothers during the winter is making shea butter by hand. Maybe you have used shea butter yourself — it is a wonderful moisturizer and you may find it on the ingredients label of many products you use! In this post, one of our Girls Project members tells us about how she and her mother make shea butter.
