Mali: Dogon Cultural Festival

The first edition of the Dogon cultural festival was launched on January 29 in Mali’s capital, Bamako.

It was held on the banks of River Niger opposite the BCEAO Tower in the country.

The three day event organised by TOGUNA in partnership with GINNA DOGON came to a close on the afternoon of Sunday, January 31.

In attendance was the country’s Minister of Culture, Handicrafts and Tourism, N’Diaye Ramatoulayé Diallo and President of the Ginna Dogon tribe, Mamadou Togo.

The major aim of the festival was to promote the cultural diversity of the ancient tribe. The Dogon culture is also one of Mali’s major tourist attractions.

The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of the country of Mali, in Western Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, in the Mopti region.

The Dogon culture is known for its detailed, meaningful art and tribal customs, but the Dogon are mostly known for their ancient, accurate cosmology and the legends of their ancestors from Sirius.

Their origin is however unknown.

They apparently originated from the West bank of the Niger, fleeing from the Mossi people around 1490 and taking refuge in the hills of Bandiagara where they have continued to live resisting being conquered by first the Muslims and then the French.

It is estimated they are less than 800,000 in number.