Bamako

Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, a country in Africa. In 2022, about 4,227,569 people lived there. The city is on the Niger River, near where the river changes direction. This location helps Bamako be an important place for trade and travel.

As the administrative centre of Mali, Bamako helps run the country’s government. The city is its own special district, separate from nearby areas. It has seven parts called communes. Near Bamako, in Koulikoro, there is a river port that helps ships arrive and leave. This makes Bamako a key spot for business in West Africa.

Bamako has grown a lot in recent years. New buildings, shops, and other projects have been built to improve life for people there. The city has important places like the University of Bamako, the National Museum of Mali, the Mali National Zoo, and the Grand Mosque of Bamako. It is also home to the Modibbo Keita International Airport. The buildings in Bamako have a special style that makes the city unique.

History

See also: Timeline of Bamako

People have lived in the area of Bamako for a very long time. The land near the Niger River gave people plenty of food. Early leaders became rich by setting up trade paths across West Africa, the Sahara, and even to Europe as far back as 600s BCE. Valuable items like gold, ivory, kola nuts, and salt were traded. By the 11th century, the Empire of Ghana ruled the area, and later the Mali Empire took over.

Bamako became a city around 1650. A famous explorer, Mungo Park, visited in 1806 and thought about 6,000 people lived there then.

In 1960, Mali became independent from France, and Bamako became its capital. The city grew quickly, especially after railroads were built connecting it to other places.

Unfortunately, Bamako has faced difficult times, including protests and conflicts. In recent years, the city has been affected by safety concerns.

Geography

Bamako is on the Niger River floodplain, making it hard to build close to the river. The city is mostly flat, except for a place in the north where an old volcano once was. Important buildings like the Presidential Palace and the main hospital are there.

Bamako began on the north side of the river. As the city grew, bridges were built to connect both sides. The first bridge was the Pont des Martyrs, followed by the King Fahd Bridge. There is also a path used in dry seasons between two neighborhoods. A newer, bigger bridge was finished in 2011 to help with traffic, especially for trucks.

Climate

Bamako has a tropical savanna climate. It is very hot most of the year, especially from March to May. The cooler months are from November to February. There is little rain from November to April, but the rainy season is in the summer, from June to October.

Environment

Waste Management Controversy

In 2015, Bamako changed how it collected waste. Before, local groups did the work. After the change, many waste collectors lost their jobs, and less waste was collected. This caused garbage to pile up, making life hard, especially when it rained. Because of this, people in Bamako protested and sometimes damaged property.

Administration

The District of Bamako is divided into six areas, called communes. Each commune has its own local government led by a mayor. These areas were created in 1978 and changed a little in 1982.

Each commune has its own neighborhoods. Commune I has many people and is next to the Niger River. Commune II is an important area for industry. Commune III is the main place for government work and shopping. Commune IV is one of the bigger communes. Commune V is close to the airport. Commune VI is the largest commune of all.

Bamako has many neighborhoods, including places like ACI-2000, Hippodrome, and Quartier Mali.

Economy

Industry

Bamako is where most of the country's factories and businesses are. The city is busy with services, crafts, and trade. The old market area is crowded and dirty, but the city is growing quickly, especially south of the river. A new business area is forming west of the city center, and many government offices are being built there. Big companies and important offices have their main places in Bamako. Air Mali has its main office here. Saudi Arabia has helped build many important buildings in Bamako, and more recently, China has also invested in the city's facilities.

Energy

Bamako gets much of its electricity from a big dam called the Sélingué Dam. The city’s water comes from the Niger River, but there isn’t enough water during the very hot months. This causes water shortages. A new water station was planned to open in 2009.

Architecture

The BCEAO Tower is the tallest building in West Africa. It has 20 stories and is in the center of Bamako, north of the Niger River. The tower is the main office for the Central Bank of West African States. This bank helps with money matters for several Francophone countries in West Africa. The building’s design is inspired by the old styles of Djenne and Timbuktu.

Nearby is the Cité Administrative, a group of government buildings. Construction began in 2003 and ended in 2010. It now holds many important offices for the government.

Demographics

Bamako has grown very fast. In 1884, only 2,500 people lived there. By 1960, that number had grown to 100,000. Today, more than 4 million people live in Bamako, according to the 2022 count. Many people move to the city for jobs.

This fast growth has made it hard for the city to keep up with needs like clean water, traffic, and keeping things tidy. Bamako is home to many different groups of people from Mali and nearby countries.

Culture

The National Library of Mali started in 1944 and later became a place where people can read and borrow books and other materials. It moved to a new building in Bamako in 1968 and now has over 60,000 items, such as books, videos, and music.

The National Museum of Mali shows items and stories from Mali’s past, including music, clothing, and art from different groups of people. It opened in 1953 and has grown to be an important place for Malian culture. The museum also has works by local artists and sometimes holds a photography festival called the African Photography Encounters.

Bamako has many interesting places, like museums, gardens, monuments, and a hill with old rock paintings. The city has also been a place for important health meetings and racing events.

Music

In the 1990s, Bamako became known for its music because of artists like Salif Keita and Ali Farka Touré. Their success brought more musicians and visitors to the city, and you can often hear traditional music in the streets.

Education

In 2011, four new universities opened in Bamako. These were the University of Social Sciences and Management, the University of Humanities and Social Sciences, the University of Science, Technology and Technologies, and the University of Legal and Political Sciences of Bamako.

In 1972, a special school and center was created to help children and adults who are blind or have limited vision. This was called the Union Malienne Des Aveugles.

Places of worship

Bamako has many important buildings where people gather to practice their faith. Most of the places of worship in Bamako are for people who follow the Muslim faith, and many are mosques. There are also churches and temples for Christians, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral, which is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamako. Other Christian groups also have places to meet, such as the Église Chrétienne Évangélique du Mali and the Assemblies of God. One well-known mosque is the Eyoub Mosque.

Transport

The Dakar-Niger Railway connects Bamako to places like Kati, Négala, Kita, and Kayes. There are plans for a rail link to San-Pédro in Ivory Coast.

Roads link Bamako to Koulikoro, Kati, Kolokani, Ségou, and Sikasso. The Bamako-Sénou International Airport is about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the city and began serving passengers in 1974. More people use the airport each year.

Bamako sits on both sides of the Niger River. Three bridges connect the two sides. These include the Bridge of Martyrs, the King Fahd Bridge, and a bridge funded by the People’s Republic of China.

Healthcare

The Point G hospital in Bamako was built between 1906 and 1913. It is a big hospital and used to be for soldiers before it became for everyone.

Another important hospital in Bamako is the Gabriel Touré Hospital, which opened in 1959. In 2008, plans were made for a new hospital to help more patients. This new hospital will have special rooms for children and mothers, and areas for different kinds of medical care. China is helping to support this new hospital.

In popular culture

Bamako has been featured in books and films. One film is called Bamako, directed by Abderrahmane Sissako. The movie shows a trial in the city while people continue their normal lives. It talks about important ideas such as money and fairness in some African countries. The film first showed at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2006, and later in Manhattan by New Yorker Films on February 14, 2007. It also won an award at the Istanbul International Film Festival in April 2007.

Bamako was also shown in the educational computer game Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? from the 1980s.

Notable people

Bamako is home to many well-known people from different fields. These people include musicians, artists, and leaders who have done great things in their communities and around the world. The city has helped many talented people grow and succeed.

The following people are some of the notable individuals from Bamako:

• Tiken Jah Fakoly
• Amadou & Mariam
• Sangaré Niamoto Ba
• Ousmane Cisse
• Souleymane Cissé
• Aicha Coulibaly
• Idrissa Coulibaly
• Mohamed Coulibaly
• N'Faly Dante
• Massa Makan Diabaté
• Sidy Fassara Diabaté
• Drissa Diakite
• Mahamadou Diarra
• Drissa Diarra
• Moké Diarra
• Lamine Diawara
• Nare Diawara
• Yaya Dissa
• Adama Drabo
• Bakari Fofana
• Amara Morikè Kallé
• Ibrahim Kante
• Salif Keita
• Makan Konaté
• Sika Koné
• Amadou Konte
• Seydou Badian Kouyaté
• Abdoulaye Maïga
• Hamchétou Maïga
• Modibo Maiga
• Aya Nakamura
• Alpha Yaya Sangaré
• Adama Sanogo
• Amadou Sidibé
• Malick Sidibé
• Noé Sissoko
• Bakary Soumaré
• Tidiani (Jeff) Tall
• Jean Tigana
• Meiya Tireira
• Ali Farka Touré
• Almamy Toure
• Sidi Touré
• Dramane Traoré

Twin towns and sister cities

Bamako has friendly city partnerships with places in other countries. These include:

• Angers in France since 1974
• Ashgabat in Turkmenistan since 1974
• Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso since 1994
• Bordeaux in France since 1999
• Dakar in Senegal since 1973
• Nouakchott in Mauritania
• Rochester in the United States since 1975