Last weekend we rose before the sun in Bamako, hopped on a bus in the darkness of the early hours, and arrived to the town of Ségou for Mali’s annual Festival sur le Niger.
The Festival is comprised of four days of musicmusicmusic derived from the smorgasbord of cultures that thrive in Mali: from the Senegalese border to deep in the Sahara desert, from Kayes to Timbuktu. And to celebrate the magic, there was dancing to delight in.
Around 6:00pm on a Friday, under a crafty pavilion,
the musicians got the itch,
and the dance troupe got to swinging.
They swung, they swung!
Until some couldn’t keep their feet on the ground,
and others just could
not
get
enough!
The joy was palpable, the rhythms infections, and even the tiniest of onlookers showed great appreciation.
The Festival Sur le Niger is greatly advertised throughout Mali, and event are easily found online. It’s truly an event not to be missed.
outerNotes 
I’m moving to Bamako in August with my family and absolutely love reading your blog. For someone who has never been to the continent, I find great comfort in your pictures and words. Thank you for sharing!
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Hi there! So glad to know you enjoy the blog, and that you’re headed to Bamako! And great timing – you’ll just miss peak hot season, which should start you off on the right foot, ha! Lots of luck and please get in touch if I can be of any help !
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