The attic is a small building or hut built in the courtyard of a house by the farmer to keep their harvest. Mali is a country in which 80% of the population is involved in farming. Beautiful attics dot rural Mali villages, and their familiar shapes evoke feelings of plenty…
"Yogoro and Salawalé": Practices that bring cheerfulness to Malian society during the month of Ramadan.
Our Girls Project Coordinator would like to share with you a traditional practice that is happening in Mali during the month of Ramadan. This practice is intended to claim donations (grains and money), but with humor The "Yogoro" for boys and the "Salawalé-walé" for girls is a very old practice whose origin is lost in the dawn of time. This would be as old as our society. Every year in Mali, from the 10th to the 20th night of the month of Ramadan, we witness the influx of children into the streets of cities to indulge in this practice of their fathers, mothers and grandfathers, grandmother, when they were their age. Thus, the tradition was immortalized as generations followed each other.
Welcoming the Stranger, Mali Style
Joking Kinship in Mali: A Tool for Social Cohesion
Outtakes From Travels in Mali
Our trips to Mali are packed full of beautiful, excited students. So our photos tend to feature those great kids. Great kids, and loving shots of the Mali Rising school buildings. But we know so of the most interesting things are the little peeks at life in Mali. So, we’re sharing a few of our favorite non-kid, non-school (mostly) photos from the trip here…
Textbooks = A Dancing, Singing, Village-Wide Celebration
Wow. I get excited about a new book, but the village of Beneko REALLY gets excited. I mean – they literally throw a party! Thanks to the generosity of Mike and Bonnie King and dozens of their friends, last week we delivered more than 1,000 textbooks to our middle school in the remote village of Beneko. See the party Beneko threw to welcome their new textbooks...
Ready For Some Friday Fun? So Are We.
It's Friday afternoon here at Mali Rising's U.S. offices and we're feeling a little slap-happy. So, I thought I'd share a short video from our recent school expedition in Mali. Please feel free to laugh as I try to learn that most basic of skills for a Mali woman -- how to carry water on my head. A three-year-old child can do it. But can I?
Celebrating A New School & A New Future
On November 14, we did one of the most amazing and most overwhelming things you can do -- we officially opened a new Mali Rising school. The celebratory opening in the tiny village of Sebela was simply incredible, with hundreds of excited children, wonderful dancers, dozens of dignitaries, and much more.
Come to Mali With Us...Via Social Media
For the first several weeks of November, the Mali Rising's U.S. staff will head to Mali to spend time with our Mali staff and students. We'll visit 18 schools, catch up with Inspiration Scholars, visit potential new partner villages, and more. Along the way we'll see some sights and have some fun. We wish you could all come a long for the journey. Luckily, via social media you can actually kind of be there...
You Won't Be Able To Resist The Beat
We are gearing up here for our big Soiree on October 12. It is a chance to hear about the successes you've supported in the last year and what great things are coming in the next year.But this year that isn't all you'll hear! We are excited to have three drummers joining us to share the joy and beauty of West African drumming -- Deja Mitchell, Sekou Soumah, and Hakim Muhammed.
