Mali: spectacular mobilization to replaster the Great Mosque of Djenné

At the crossroads of the nomadic and sedentary worlds, the city of Djenné, in Mali, which played a crucial role in the expansion of Islam in Africa, does not lack arms to preserve the architectural jewel which, since 1907, stands proudly in the heart of its agglomeration.

There are, in fact, thousands of inhabitants who roll up their sleeves each year to consolidate and embellish their heritage treasure, with its strong influence: the prestigious local Great Mosque, the building in bench (raw earth) the most imposing in the world, iListed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.

There are thousands of them (men, women and children), their faces covered in mud, hurrying to his bedside and busying themselves on scaffolding, giving rise to an impressive ballet of workers taking turns to replaster the facade of this remarkable historical monument. A monument like no other, considered as the major achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian style of West Africa.

In Djenne, when the time comes to protect the majestic mud-brick mosque from erosion, caused by torrential rains, or from cracks caused by the oppressive heat, and to give it a new shine, the local authorities There is no need to call the troops back… The mobilization of the inhabitants is immediate and spectacular.