Location & Schedule

Past Program Sites include:

Bamako. The program’s  home base is a thriving city of 1.5 million where dirt roads and traditional medicines coexist with asphalt and modern hospitals—this city exemplifies the wonderful chaotic confluence of tradition and modernity.  Bamako of composed of colonial-style buildings (neo-classical and neo-Sudanese) built between 1890 and 1914.  It is a cacophony of music, traffic, and crowds of people buying and selling under the hot middday sun. 

Siby - Woyowayanko – Kangaba/Kela.  This short trip along the foothills of the Mande plateau takes participants to the Mande heartland. Students hike up winding cliff paths to visit important historical sites that date back to the founding of the Mande empire and relax by beautiful waterfalls. Members of the famed Diabate clan will perform historical epics relating to Sunjata Keita’s 13th-century exploits.

Segou. Segou was the capital of the eighteenth-century Bamana Empire, whose influence stretched from the Senegal River to Timbuktu. The French took the city in 1892, using it as an administrative center. The Niger River is wide and beautiful at Segou. Though traditional Bamana architecture can be found throughout town, the oldest remains can be found in Segou-Koro (old Segou) five miles west of the modern city. The Segou region is home to many artisan's potters, weavers, blacksmiths, and wood workers.

Mopti. Located in central Mali, Mopti lies on a series of islands connected by causeways at the juncture of the Niger and Bani rivers. Mopti has long been a commercial center, where many of Mali's ethnic groups come together to trade. Mopti's port is a lively place where boats from up and down the river unload their cargos of salt from the north, dried fish, firewood, pottery, goats, and chickens.

Djenné.  Djenné is known for its Grande Mosque, the largest mud-brick building in the world. Constructed of blocks made from a mixture of rice husks, earth, and water, it is an impressive four story high structure, with three minarets almost 60 feet high. Djenné was the site of some of Mali's earliest urban development. The nearby archeological site of Jenne-Jeno, was a city of more than 15,000 people at its peak in the 4th century BC. In the 13th century, it rivaled Timbuktu in prosperity and Muslim culture. Djenné, a city of mud-brick houses lining narrow, winding streets, continues to be an important center of Islamic learning.

Dogon Country.  Most of the Dogon live in more than 700 small villages scattered over 15,000 square miles in the Bandiagara region of north-central Mali, an area of high cliffs and natural caves. Some live on a sandstone plateau above the cliffs and the rest live in the sandy plains below. Until 1930, the Dogon were isolated from the rest of the world and were opposed to foreign influences on their culture and society. For many years, this protected them from attacks by outsiders. The Dogon are famous for their distinctive village architecture, beautifully carved wooden masks, and granary doors.

Kolokani. Kolokani is recognized as one of the most vital areas of Bamana traditional ceremonial practice. We will attend an important ceremony incorporating music, dance, mask, and theater.

Kolondieba – Sikasso.  Kolondieba is home to an energetic, community-based celebration known as Didadi. We will attend a special presentation of Didadi, a style which has been modernized by numerous popular musicians in Bamako. Sikasso is the commercial center of southern Mali, and its lush vegetation contrasts sharply with the drier zones of the majority of the country. The town was once completely surrounded by a protective wall known as a tata, some of which still remains. It was also a base for the 19th-century jihadist empire-builder, Samory Toure.

 

Orientation

Academic requirements begin during the summer with assigned readings, response papers, and initial entries into students’ Mali journals. The director schedules telephone consultations with each participant to further clarify their personal goals for the semester abroad. Students are strongly encouraged to improve their French or Bamanankan language skills.

 

Week One in Mali                                                                                                                                          The first week in Mali is designed as a transition to the sites, sounds, climate, geography, and people of the city of Bamako. Participants map our home base neighborhood, acquaint themselves with transit in Bamako, familiarize themselves with important landmarks, and learn basic greetings in Bamanankan. Group discussions are held on topics such as cultural adaptation, Malian customs, health issues, and living conditions.

Students are divided into their appropriate groups for language classes. Introductory seminars focus on historical material, including the Sunjata epic, Islam, the colonial period, and the independence era. Guest lecturers present on various artistic traditions. Field trip destinations include the central market, Point G scenic lookout, the Museum of Bamako, the National Museum, the Artisan market, and rehearsals of the National Ballet, the National Instrumental Ensemble, and the Ballet of the District of Bamako.

 

Typical Program Structure

September 5th	Depart from the U.S. and arrive in Bamako on September 6th
Week 1	Orientation and language classes
Weeks 2-3	Language classes intensify, classes on Culture and Contemporary Life and Aesthetic Traditions begin
Weeks 4-5	Travel within Mali
Weeks 6-8	Apprenticeship/Homestay
Weeks 9-12	Apprenticeship/Homestay                                                                                           Four-day, small group trips in Week 9
Week 13	Independent Project presentations; preparation for departure
December 4th	Depart from Bamako and arrive in the U.S. on December 5th

 

Accommodations

While in Bamako, students are housed primarily at the Yeredon, the arts center where classes are held. Homestays take place during the three-week apprenticeship period. During travel to the interior of Mali, the group stays in small hotels and guest houses.