Culture of Mali

The culture of Mali is shaped by its shared history as a colonial and post-colonial nation, along with the interactions between the many ethnic groups that make up its people. What is now the nation of Mali was first unified during the medieval period under the Mali Empire. Although the modern state does not include some areas in the southwest and extends further east and northeast, the dominant role of the Mandé people, who gave their name to the empire, remains a key aspect of Mali’s identity today.

Songhay, Bozo, and Dogon people predominate, while the Fula people, formerly nomadic, have settled in various parts of the nation. Tuareg and Maure people continue to practice a largely nomadic desert culture in the north. The interaction of these communities (along with dozens of other smaller ethnicities) has given rise to a Malian culture marked by both heterogeneity and the blending of traditions.