VOA文化艺术2024--Conflict Hurts Mali's Tourism Industry

 

Conflict Hurts Mali's Tourism Industry

Kola Bah used to earn money as a guide in Mali's historic¹ city of Djenné, once a center of Islamic learning.

The city is known for its large Grand Mosque² of Djenné. The religious center has been on the UNESCO World Heritage³ in Danger list since 2016.

The world's largest mud-brick building used to draw tens of thousands of visitors to central Mali every year. Now, the structure is threatened by conflict between rebels, government forces and other groups.

Bah says the money he used to earn was enough to support his family, which now includes nine children, and to pay for a small group of cattle.

But now, few visitors come to the city. Bah has been largely out of work. When he needs money, he sells some of his cattle.

Grand Mosque

Djenné is one of the oldest towns in sub-Saharan Africa. It has served as a market center and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. Almost 2,000 of its traditional houses still survive in the old town.

The Grand Mosque, built in 1907 on the area of an older mosque dating back to the 13th century, is worked on every year by local people. The work is a ritual⁴ that brings together the entire city. The large, earth-colored structure requires a new layer of mud before the rainy season starts.

Women are responsible for carrying water from the nearby river to mix with clay and rice hulls⁶. This mixture is the mud used to cover the wall of the structure. Adding a new layer of mud is a job for men. The joyful⁷ ritual is a source of pride for a city that has fallen on hard times, uniting people of all ages.

Bamouyi Trao Traoré is one of Djenné's lead builders. He said they worked as a team from the very start. This year's wall covering took place earlier in the month.

"Each one of us goes to a certain spot to supervise⁸," he said. "This is how we do it until the whole thing is done. We organize ourselves, we supervise the younger ones."

Conflict and the future

Mali's conflict broke out following a coup⁹ in 2012. Militant¹⁰ groups took control of important northern cities. A French-led military operation pushed them out of the city centers the following year, but the success was short-lived.

The militants¹¹ regrouped and launched attacks on the Malian military, as well as the United Nations, French and other forces in the country. The militants publicly stated their connection to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Sidi Keita is the director of Mali's national tourism agency in the capital of Bamako. Keita said the drop in tourism was sharp following the violence.

"It was really a popular destination," he said, describing tens of thousands of visitors a year and adding that today, tourists are rare in Mali.

Despite being one of Africa's top gold producers, Mali ranks among the least developed nations in the world, with almost half of its 22 million people living below the national poverty line. Without tourism, few means are left for Malians to make a living.

Anger over what many Malians call "the crisis¹²" is rising. The country also saw two more coups¹³ since 2020, during a wave of political instability in West and Central Africa.

Moussa Moriba Diakité is head of Djenne's cultural office, which works to save the city's heritage. Diakité said there are other difficulties beyond security - including illegal digs and waste disposal in the city.

He said the office is trying to send a message that security is not as bad as it seems. The office also hopes to get more young people involved in the mud-covering ritual, to help the new generation recognize its importance.

"It's not easy to get people to understand the benefits of preserving cultural heritage right away," he said.

Words in This Story

cattle -- n. cows that are kept for meat or milk

ritual - n. a series of acts done in the same way each time

layer -- n. an amount of something that is spread over an area

hull⁵ -- n. the outer covering of a fruit or grain

tourism - n. the activity of traveling for fun

benefit - n. a good or helpful effect

1 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

2 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

4 ritual   

adj.例行的，老规矩的，惯常的

参考例句：

• This was the monthly ritual.这是每月一次的例规。
• I realized that here the conventions required me to make the ritual noises.我意识到此时按照惯例我应该说些客套话。

5 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

6 hulls   

船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚

参考例句：

• Hulls may be removed by aspiration on screens. 脱下的种皮，可由筛子上的气吸装置吸除。
• When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. 当他们的目的达到以后，他们便凋谢零落，就象脱却果实的空壳一样。

7 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

8 supervise   

v.监督，管理，指导

参考例句：

• We must supervise and speed up the fulfilment of assigned tasks.已经布置了的工作，应当认真督促检查。
• Tomorrow he will supervise all the pupils taking the English examination.明天全体学生考英语，他将担任监考。

9 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

10 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

11 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

12 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

13 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网