Mali

A Minnesotan In Mali, Teaching The Country's Sounds

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:39:00 +0000

Numbers are down at the American International School in Bamako, the capital of Mali.

In just over a year, the country has witnessed a rebellion, a military coup and the occupation by Islamist fighters of the desert northern region, recently largely liberated in a counteroffensive by French-led forces.

Family In Mali Eats French President's Camel

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:48:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene. The government of Mali was grateful for France's help in repelling al-Qaida militants from their country. When French President Francois Hollande came for a visit, Mali's government gave him a camel. Unable to transport the camel home, Hollande left it with a local family who then ate it. Embarrassed officials have promised Hollande a new camel, saying it will be bigger and better looking and, hopefully for the camel, slightly less appetizing. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Mali Will Give France's François Hollande A New Camel, After The First Was Eaten

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:48:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh2xcivySkY

Baba Salah: A Malian Musician Speaks To His Nation's Displaced

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:58:00 +0000

It's Friday night in Bamako, and a club in the Malian capital has come alive. Guitarist and singer Baba Salah is on the floor.

His hometown of Gao, along the banks of the River Niger on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, made headlines as the first city in the north to be liberated by French-backed Malian forces in January. Gao was one of three regional centers in the north captured by rebels and jihadis a year ago. Islamists warned musicians that their tongues would be sliced out if they continued to sing and play.

Outrage Builds Over Publisher's Arrest In Mali; Media Falls Silent

Korva Coleman — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:27:00 +0000

Reports from Mali indicate few, if any radio broadcasts went out today in Bamako, the capital of Mali. Newspapers didn't publish morning editions either - journalists are angry over last week's arrest of Boukary Daou, the publisher of The Republican newspaper.

Daou printed an open letter from a Malian army officer on March 6th that expressed outrage over new benefits awarded to Captain Amadou Sanogo. He was the leader of the junta last year that toppled Mali's president; the subsequent political vacuum allowed Islamist and Tuareg militants to seize even more land in northern Mali.