Bamako Travel Guide

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Bamako is the capital of Mali. It is nestled in the fertile river valley of the River Niger. The architecture is hauntingly Klingon. Bamako has incredible light. Dusk brings an incredibly thick sensual warm light to the street scene. The cars and crowded streets and open gutters seem to loose their hard edges in this magical light. Add the dense moisture of an approaching thunderstorm and you would think that you had entered an alternate universe. Everything is beautiful and calm. The air can be cut with a knife. Could be all the pollution, but it is incredible.

Finding anything in the city can be a ridiculous feat. I don't think anyone, local or visitor alike have any idea where they are or where they are going. A good strategy is to just hop on a bus, or pick a direction on foot and see where it takes you.

Bamako has many cultural sites to visit. The museums have signs that explain their exhibitions apologetically: they are incomplete because of the "amateur archaeologists" that plundered the country in the 1800s and early 1900s and robbed all important cultural artifacts. If you want to view the complete historical and cultural collections of Mali, you may have more luck at the British Museum or in Paris. This doesn't mean that your trip to the National Museum will be in vain, the replicas are truly astounding and Malian government seems to put a lot of money into recreating the past.

One shouldn't feel depressed by this. Just because the Europeans robbed the artifacts doesn't mean that they robbed the culture. Bamako's streets are vibrant with the hustle and bustle of commerce and its music scene is rich in tradition, with influences dating back through the centuries. You may find clues to this scene in the most unexpected of places, like the Army Officer's Mess Hall... so don't be a snob.

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