Bamako, Mali

Bamako is the capital of the Republic of Mali, a West African country, and that nation's cultural, administrative, and economic center. Located along the Niger River, Bamako came to prominence through its strategic location as a shipping center, sending and receiving food, minerals, and slaves along the African interior toward the Atlantic Ocean. Named the capital of the French Sudan in the early twentieth century, Bamako remained the capital of Mali after the nation's transition to independence in the 1960s. It has one of the fastest growing populations in Africa and, in 2008, was ranked the sixth-fastest-growing city in the world.

Landscape

Mali is one of the largest nations in Africa, occupying more than 1.2 million square kilometers (482,000 square miles), and bordering portions of Algeria , Niger , Burkina Faso , Senegal , Mauritania , Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire . Despite being landlocked, Mali benefits from the Niger River, which flows from west to east across the nation and creates an inland delta rich with streams and lakes before passing through Niger into the Gulf of Guinea .

The Niger River irrigates the soil around Bamako, creating an oasis of lush, tropical vegetation that surrounds the city. The city was first established on the northern side of the river as a small village and shipping center. Modern Bamako expanded south of the river to accommodate an expanding population. While the Niger River is directly responsible for Bamako's growth and development, the river also complicates expansion as the floodplain and numerous small streams make construction impossible in some parts of the city.

Downtown Bamako contains a business district, administrative buildings and a commercial zone. The traditional town center was located north of the river but development to the south in the early twenty-first century has created a second market district. Colonial French and traditional African architecture are intermingled with modern architecture throughout the city.

The climate of Bamako is typical of many countries in the Sahel region with a dry, relatively cool winter and a short rainy season from June to September accompanied by rising temperatures. Average temperatures range from 16 to 39 degrees Celsius (60 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit). Droughts are rare in Bamako because of the Niger River, while other provinces, including Tombouctou (site of the ancient city of Timbuktu) and Kidal, often experience droughts during the dry season. During the rainy season, flooding is a concern for neighborhoods located along the Niger or its tributary streams.

People

The population of Bamako is growing rapidly in the early twenty-first century at a rate of more than 4 percent annually, making Bamako one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. As of August 2023, Mali's estimated total population had increased to 21,359,722 people, of which more than 2.92 million lived in Bamako. In addition to high birth rates, Bamako also sees a continual influx of migrants from other parts of Mali as urbanization accelerates and the city expands.

More than 90 percent of Malians belong to various indigenous African ethnic groups. Bambara people make up the largest ethnic group in Mali, accounting for an estimated 33.3 percent of the population as of 2018. In Bamako, the population is more diverse, containing larger numbers of immigrants, European expatriates, and members of other African ethnic groups. French was the official language of Mali until 2023; it is a working language used in administrative and educational settings. Thirteen indigenous languages have replaced French as official languages. Bambara is spoken by nearly half of the population. The other official languages are Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fula, Hassaniya, Kassonke, Maninke, Minyanka, Senufo, Songhay, Soninke, and Tamasheq.

Bamako has long served as a major center for Islam in Mali, and the city has numerous worship sites to serve the nation's Muslim population. Estimates indicate that more than 93 percent of Malians are Muslim. Of the remaining residents, 2.8 percent follow Christianity and 0.7 percent follow a form of animist religion.

With the nation's largest and most diverse population, Bamako bears little resemblance to the rest of Mali. Numerous markets are scattered throughout the city, serving as centers of social life. Mali is known worldwide for its music including its drumming and guitar style, both of which can be found in Bamako and are a major part of the city's nightlife. In addition to traditional Malian food, Bamako's restaurants serve a sampling of international cuisines, including French and Chinese.

Economy

Mali is one of the twenty-five poorest nations in the world. About 65 percent of the landlocked nation is arid or semidesert, making farming difficult or impossible, and the country has repeatedly experienced drought. Yet an estimated 80 percent of the Malian population is engaged in agriculture or fishing, either for subsistence or as part of the export industry. Gold mining is another revenue-generating industry. Around 7.7 percent of the nation's population was unemployed as of 2021 estimates, and income distribution is a serious concern, with wide disparities between the nation's wealthiest and poorest citizens.

In contrast to the rest of the nation, the economy of Bamako is far more diverse and the service industries, including tourism, business travel, ecotourism, and recreational services, are a major source of employment for Bamako residents. The city's infrastructure was also improved following the city's 2002 hosting of the Africa Nations Cup (ANC), a football (soccer) competition, and the influx of capital and tourism led to an explosion in the services industry. However, political instability and poor infrastructure have hampered the tourism industry.

Shipping remains one of Bamako's biggest industries and the second-largest source of employment for residents. The city's ports along the Niger River ship a variety of agricultural and industrial products including corn, rice, millet, meat products, construction materials, stone, and several metal products extracted from nearby mining settlements. The nation's primary trading partners are Switzerland, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates, Cote d'Ivoire, France, and China.

There is an international airport located just outside urban Bamako, which allows the city to benefit from business travel and tourism. Trains and buses connect Bamako to other areas in Mali and other African nations. The Niger also supports local travel with boats carrying passengers into nearby cities.

Landmarks

The Bamako Zoo and Bamako Botanical Gardens provide a valuable educational resource with exhibits and information about Mali's native fauna and flora; both the zoo and botanical gardens are located a short distance from the city center. The area near the Botanical Gardens, as the floodplain blends into the nearby mountains, is a popular spot for outdoor recreation known as Point G Hill. The area features a series of caves and ancient rock carvings, along with views of the Bamako plain.

The Bamako Grand Mosque is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city and is also used for religious ceremonies. The Grand Mosque is located near the core of activity in the northern part of the city and is connected by several bustling streets to the Grand Market, Bamako's largest and busiest outdoor market where visitors can purchase food, art, and other goods.

The Bamako National Museum, located at the northern edge of the urban district, features tools and art representing the region's earliest African tribes and inhabitants. The museum was first established under the French colonial government in the 1950s and it has become an archive for native African ethnographic materials since Mali's independence.

The area along the bank of the Niger River on both the southern and northern sides is a popular recreation and community location for residents of Bamako, and a variety of restaurants, clubs and retail establishments have been built to take advantage of the constant foot and vehicle traffic. Nearby is the BCEAO Tower, which, at twenty stories, is Bamako's tallest building.

History

The floodplains of Mali have been occupied since the Paleolithic period—the earliest period of human development, occurring over two million years ago—as the Niger River was used for transportation, fishing and, later, shipping between settlements. Mali was part of the West African Ghana Empire for almost a century until Muslims invaded the region in the eleventh century. The Mali and Songhai Empires also controlled the region at various points in history, and the Islamic heritage of these empires remained a central feature of Malian culture into the modern era.

Eventually the various shipping communities around the Niger River began to combine and expand, becoming the city of Bamako, which was occupied largely by Bambara people. The French entered the region in the eighteenth century and negotiated with leaders of the Mali Empire to establish trading outposts. The French eventually subjugated the Malians and occupied Bamako in 1883. By 1904, France had claimed control over the entirety of Mali, with Bamako established as the capital in 1908. In 1920, the French reorganized administration of their West African territories and renamed Mali as French Sudan.

The French improved the area's roads and organized the city around an irregular grid but much of the existing Islamic architecture was left in place. During the colonial period, Bamako expanded significantly and the French built many of the utility systems used in the city. An independence movement began in Mali during the 1950s as France was in the process of divesting many of its other colonial territories. Mali was granted complete internal autonomy in 1958 without a violent uprising and, in 1960, the nation gained independence from France.

The era from 1960 to the mid-1990s was difficult for Mali as continued military and government instability prevented development in many parts of the nation and contributed to Mali's status as one of Africa's poorest nations. In 1968, a coup left the nation in the control of a military dictatorship, which lasted until a second coup, in 1991, returned the civilian government to power. Because of the city's ties to the river, Bamako avoided some of the economic devastation that plagued the rest of the nation. Bamako's population grew rapidly after independence as Malians from around the nation moved to the region to find employment.

In the twenty-first century, Bamako has been on a schedule of rapid growth, though economic and social problems continue to pose a problem. Growth and development have also been a concern as Bamako has seen a sharp rise in the cost of living. Some of Bamako's residents have staged protests to object to the high cost of food and housing and have petitioned the government to provide aid for the city's poor and unemployed.

In January 2012, ethnic Tuareg militias in northern Mali rebelled against Mali's government under second-term president Amadou Toumani Toure, who was subsequently overthrown in March of that year by members of the Malian military who were dissatisfied with Toure's handling of the rebellion. After a month of mediation efforts, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) appointed an interim president and civilian administration. Despite this, the rebels had dispersed the military in the northern regions of the country, enabling Islamist militants to take control of some areas. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from northern Mali fled the conflict. In January 2013, international forces intervened in northern Mali and took control back from the militants and a new president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was elected that summer. The parties involved in the conflict signed a peace accord in 2015, but did little to implement it. The junta ended the peace deal in January 2024. Other extremist groups have gained power in central Mali. President Keita was reelected in 2018 but deposed in a coup in August 2020. Colonel Assimi Goita became transition president in June 2021. Because the junta leaders announced a delay in holding elections, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced sanctions against Mali in 2022. Members closed their land and air borders with Mali and froze the country's assets in ECOWAS commercial banks. These actions and other factors caused hardship for the people of Mali, including inflation of 9.7 percent in 2022. In January 2024, Mali's leaders announced they were withdrawing from the regional economic bloc.

Bibliography

Akorli, Christian, and Tiemoko Diallo. "West African Nations Sever Links with Mali Over Election Delay." Reuters, www.reuters.com/world/africa/mali-eyes-elections-four-years-west-african-bloc-mulls-sanctions-2022-01-09/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

Africa South of the Sahara 2016, edited by Europa Publications, 45th ed., Routledge, 2015.

Cybriwsky, Roman Adrian. Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture. ABC-CLIO, 2013.

Lang, Robert. "The Sand Diggers of Mali: The Impacts of a Rapidly Growing City." Royal Geographical Society, www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Teaching+resources/Key+Stage+4+resources/Key+Stage+4+-+From+the+field+resources/Urbanisation+and+migration/Urbanisation+and+migration.htm. Accessed 5 Dec. 2016.

Maclean, Ruth. "Three African Juntas Leave Regional Bloc, Accusing It of 'Inhumane' Sanctions." The New York Times, 28 Jan. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/01/28/world/africa/west-africa-junta-leave-ecowas.html. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

"Mali." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 20 Feb. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mali/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

"Mali Drops French as an Official Language." Language Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023, www.languagemagazine.com/2023/10/17/mali-drops-french-as-an-official-language/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

"Mali Junta Ends Peace Deal with Separatists." Voice of America, 25 Jan. 2024, www.voanews.com/a/mali-junta-ends-peace-deal-with-separatists-/7458031.html. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

Schulz, Dorothea E. Culture and Customs of Mali. Greenwood, 2012.

"World Bank Says Mali's Economy Showed Signs of Resilience Despite Sanctions and Climate Shocks." The World Bank, 26 July 2023, www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/07/26/mali-economy-has-shown-signs-of-resilience-despite-sanctions-and-climatic-shocks-says-the-world-bank. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.