Bandiagara

Bandiagara (French pronunciation: [bɑ̃djaɡaʁa]) is a small town and urban commune in the Mopti Region of Mali. The name translates roughly to "large eating bowl"—referring to the communal bowl meals are served in. Mainly on its Bandiagara Escarpment it has about 2,000 speakers of the vibrant Bangime language,[2] an isolate used mainly as an anti-language; it has the highest point of the country.

Bandiagara
Commune and town
Bandiagara is located in Mali
Bandiagara
Bandiagara
Location in Mali
Coordinates: 14°21′0″N 3°36′40″W
Country Mali
RegionMopti Region
CercleBandiagara Cercle
Elevation
392 m (1,286 ft)
Population
 (2009 census)[1]
 • Total25,564
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)

Bandiagara is 65 km east-southeast of Mopti. A seasonal river, the Yamé, flows in a northeasterly direction through the town. The population includes a number of different ethnic groups including Dogons, Fulani and Bambaras.[3]

History

Bandiagara is said to have been founded in 1770 by Nangabanu Tembély, a Dogon hunter.

In 1864, Tidiani Tall, El Hadj Umar Tall's nephew and successor, chose Bandiagara as capital of the Toucouleur empire.

It is the birthplace of Malian authors Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Madina Ly-Tall and Yambo Ouologuem.

In the music video for the song Reset by Three Trapped Tigers it is shown as the location of an alien rune.

As of 2018 the town remained insecure with attacks on hotels used by UN staff being reported.[4] Nine soldiers were killed and nine wounded in an attack on a police station on February 25, 2021.[5]

  • The 19th century Maison toucouleurs in Bandiagara. Part of the Bandiagara Escarpment World Heritage Site in Mali
    The 19th century Maison toucouleurs in Bandiagara. Part of the Bandiagara Escarpment World Heritage Site in Mali
  • Market stalls in town
    Market stalls in town
  • Dogon men
    Dogon men
  • Bandiagara in the early 1900s
    Bandiagara in the early 1900s

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bandiagara.

References
  1. Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009 (Région de Mopti) (PDF) (in French), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-27.
  2. Moran, Steven; Forkel, Robert; Heath, Jeffrey, eds. (2016). "Bandiagara". dogonlanguages.org. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  4. "Gunmen kill one, wound others in central Mali hotel attack". Reuters. 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  5. "Nine soldiers killed in central Mali attack". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera English. February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
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