Join Carleton faculty leaders Nancy Wilkie and Cherif Keita as they tour the ancient kingdoms of Mali, Cherif’s homeland.

Bamako

This adventure begins with a day tour of Casablanca while you await your flight to Bamako, Mali’s capital. From there, you travel by private coach to Siby, center of the ancient Manding Empire,
returning to Bamako that night. From Bamako, it’s a short flight to Timbuktu, where you spend the day
visiting local sites, including a camel ride through the Sahara Desert to the nomadic Tuareg encampment.

Mopti

You will spend the next two days in Mopti, the main port on the Niger River, visiting villages and observing the marketplace and its people. One afternoon includes a trip in a pinasse boat on the Bani and Niger Rivers. Next is a round trip to Djenne, one of the oldest towns in West Africa.

Pays Dogon

From Mopti, you travel by private coach to Pays Dogon. Anthropologists from around the world study the people of Pays, who live along a 130-kilometer escarpment. From a lodge in the plateau village of Sangha, you will descend into the escarpment to visit the villages to the north, including Koundou. The next day brings a similar visit to the villages of the south, including Banani, Ireli, Amani, and Tireli.

Segou and Koro

Return to Mopti overnight in order to visit the towns of Segou, Segou-Koro, and nearby Koro, the ancient capital of the Bambara Empire. Then it’s back to Bamako as a base for a day trip to Manding and the villages of Doliba and Kangaba. The final day is yours to spend exploring and shopping in Bamako.

A seven-day extension to Morocco prior to the Mali portion of the trip is available on request.

Faculty

Nancy Wilkie is William H. Laird Professor of Classics, Anthropology, and the Liberal Arts and codirector of the archaeology concentration. She has conducted archeological fieldwork in Greece, Egypt, and Nepal and currently serves on the Cultural Property Advisory Committee of the U.S. State Department.

A native of Mali, French professor Cherif Keita created and directs Carleton’s francophone seminar
in Mali. He has led four French programs to Pau and Paris for Carleton and a January interim to South Africa for St. Olaf. On campus, he teaches French language, francophone African and Caribbean literature, African cinema, and Mande culture.