Mobilisation for the heritage of Mali

The “new forms of conflict are now attacking cultural identities,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. An inventory of the destruction of mausoleums in Timbuktu, ancient manuscripts burned, ritual objects and ethnographic museum collections dispersed and channelled into illegal trafficking. Timbuktu, “the town whose name captures our memory and imagination,” to quote Daniel Rondeau, has been affected the most. 

Aurélie Filippetti, the French Minister of Culture and Communication, recalled the importance of culture which forges the collective sense and thus contributes to peace. 

An action plan has been put forward to help the Malians restore this heritage. Ever responsive under such circumstances, UNESCO has shown its commitment to acting through the speech given by Irina Bokova: “We have rebuilt Mostar Bridge and we will take action in Mali”. 

“A rich man is not one whose pockets are full of gold; true wealth is being able to count on others. But the injuries run deep and they will need time to heal.” This is how Bruno Maïga, the Malian Minister of Culture, concluded. 

The Mission Val de Loire attended and set up the exhibition “The Niger, one river, many people”, the fruit of the “Niger-Loire, governance and culture” project in which several stakeholders in the Loire Valley took part, to illustrate Malian heritage in its diversity and the relations between the Loire and the Niger. 

On this website:

• Niger-Loire, gouvernance et culture
• L'exposition "Le Niger, un fleuve et des Hommes" présentée en Val de Loire

To borrow the exhibition:

Please contact Francis Vautier, communications officer  

+33 (0)2 47 66 92 93 – vautier @ mission-valdeloire.fr