Introduction to Djenne

Djenne is a small town in the heart of Mali, West Africa. It is famous for its history, its islamic learning, its architecture, and its spectacular Monday market, considered by many to be the best of all West Africa.It is the oldest town in sub-saharan Africa, dating back to at least 1000 BC, and has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

Djenne is situated about 600 km north of Mali's capital Bamako and lies in the middle of the floodplain between the Niger and Bani rivers. Djenne has some 15000 inhabitants. It has a quiet atmosphere, with very few cars and other western influences. Except during the Monday market, it's a sleepy town with a timeless feel. In Djenne, town of history, tradition and religion, there's always magic in the air.

Djenne is easy to reach, and not far from other important cultural areas such as the Dogon country, Mopti and Djenne's sister city, Timbuktu.

The Peul are an important ethnic group in Djenne

(photo by Carollee Pelos)

History

Djenne has a rich history. It is the oldest town in sub-Saharan Africa. As early as 1000 BC the town was settled by Bozo fishermen. By the 8th century Djenne had become an important centre for the trans-Saharan trade between the West African coast and the Arab world. Its power and wealth grew as the empire of Mali began to dominate most of central West Africa in the 13th century. This was the time when islam came to the region. Together with its trading outpost, Timbuktu, Djenne became an important centre of islamic learning. The two cities were rich and powerful. When the Portuguese and the Dutch began to trade directly with the West African coast by ship, the trans-Saharan trade collapsed, and Djenne gradually lost its importance.

In the 16th century Djenne was conquered by the Moroccans, who stayed for two centuries and deeply influenced every aspect of the town's life, not least its architecture. After further periods of domination by the Peul and the Toucouleur, the town was taken by the French in april 1893. In the present day republic of Mali, it has become a provincial town mainly known for its architecture, and its many koranic schools.

The Grand Mosque of Djenne

Architecture

The town is famous for its architecture. By law, all buildings in Djenne must be built with mudbricks, and plastered with 'banco' (adobe). This gives the town a very organic look and feel. Banco is in fact a mixture of the clay found on the banks of the river Bani, with straw and animal dung. For fine plastering work, the banco is further mixed with rice husks.

Every year after the rainy season, Djenne's buildings must be replastered. The Grand Mosque is plastered by the population during a two day communal festival, but private houses must be maintained by the owners. Because money is often short, a project, 'Projet Patrimoine', has been started. This project, financed by the Dutch government, restores and maintains Djenne's 160 most important landmarks. So far, some 30 buildings have been restored. The work is executed and supervised by experienced Djenninke masons, like Boubakar Kouroumanse (see 'Thoughts of a Djenne Mason" elsewhere on this site) and supervised by Malian and Dutch experts. Below is a picture of a typical Djenne house.

House of the village chief

Djenne's people

The people of Djenne form a close knit, traditional society. Here, the many habits and rituals surrounding life's important events, such as birth, marriage and death still survive intact and have come down to the people over a period of many centuries. The main ethnic groups are the Bozo (who founded Djenne, and are traditionally fishermen), the Songrai (originating from the region of Gao and Timbuctu, founders of a mighty 15th century empire), the Bambara (cultivators) and the Peul (who are herders).

These peoples live together in peace and harmony, like in most of the rest of Mali, which makes the country very special in Africa. Very few regions can boast of such friendly and harmonious relations between various ethnic groups. Djenne is a good example.

Islam

Djenne is a very important centre of Islamic learning. It has many Koranic schools, where young boys are sent from all over West Africa.

Its many marabouts, ( islamic teachers and holy men) can be seen teaching scores of boys in the doorways of their madrassa's, or schools, and are sought out by believers from all over Africa for advice.

Djenne's version of Islam is friendly, pious and tolerant, although non-muslims are not allowed into the main mosque, and women, including tourists, are expected to dress modestly.

Tourism

Djenne has become an important centre for tourists, who come to admire its architecture, its famous Monday markt, and to meet the population who have an open and friendly attitude to visitors. Certainly, tourism has not (yet) corrupted this small town. And the number of visitors remains limited: no more than two or three hundred a week visit Djenne during the season, dwindling to a handfull in the hot season of April and May.