Mali, Molly, Maui and Malawi
GIANT MAP OF MALI (yes, that's me)
Oh the confusion!
The location of the West African country of Mali is little known. When I try to explain where Mali is, most people have never heard of it. Sometimes it helps to make it clear where Mali is not. The name that comes to the mind of many is the tropical island of Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands. Mali is not Maui. It ain’t Malawi either. Incredibly enough, even some post offices around the world haven’t heard of Mali. The people I know who live there tell stories of mail being lost for weeks because it was first routed to the country of Malawi — a different African country more than 3500 miles away!
The Malian economy
The people of Mali live on very little money. The average income is $380 per year. A few other quick facts about Mali from the CIA’s World Fact Book:
- Land Size: almost twice the size of Texas
- Percentage of land suitable for farming: less than 4%
- Life Expectancy for males at birth: 48 yrs.
- Religions: Christian 1%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Muslim 90%
World Fact Book Economic Overview:
- Mali is among the poorest countries in the world.
- Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities.
- Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold.
- (The good news) Mali’s adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a 5% average in 1996-2008.
The Malian people
Multicultural Coexistence (click to enlarge)
Yes, it’s true, the Malian economy ain’t so great. But the people! The people and the culture are amazing. As is their tradition, when you visit from another country, you are considered a guest. And for them, guests are to be honored. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or even what they have to give, they do what they can to help you feel welcomed. The people of Mali are truly generous and welcoming. So when you add the warm climate on top of their community oriented cultures, it makes for a rich cultural experience day and night.
Befitting of their generosity, the Malian people have managed to create a stable government that has become a model of democracy on the African continent. The government is operated on the principals and regulations of a constitution and the people have publicly elected their leaders for 17 years now. Truly remarkable, on a continent where governments struggle for stability, one of the poorest countries in the world has been able to maintain a stable government! Since the military coup in 1991 and the acceptance of a new constitution in 1992 brought dictatorial rule to an end, the strength of the Malian democracy has grown with each election. One of the drivers of this stability is a history of multicultural coexistence that has led to a heart of peace that is at the center of Malian society today.
The theme of multicultural coexistence is sure to come up again as there are many different cultures that call Mali home. Also, in the capital city of Bamako, there is a prominent monument that is a striking tribute to the martyrs of the 1991 revolution/coup that started Mali on the road to democracy. More about that in another post…
Enjoy! Ed.
3.30.2009 Editor’s Note
It seems there is now another country to add to the list of confusion. My wife sent some magazines to a friend in Mali last week but when she looked at her receipt the clerk apparently punched up Malta instead! After talking with the manager they assured her that it should be caught at some point (it says Mali on the package). We’ll see!