Malians gather to replaster Djenne's iconic mud mosque in annual heritage ritual
DJENNE, June 14 — Thousands of Malians have replastered the iconic earthen mosque in the historic city of Djenne during an annual ceremony that helps preserve the World Heritage site.
To the sound of drums and festive music, townsmen on Thursday coated the towering three-minaret mosque with fresh mud plaster.
The annual replastering with 'banco'—a mix of earth and water—shields the mosque from harsh weather ahead of the Sahel region's often violent rainy season.
'This mosque belongs to the whole world,' said Aboubacar Sidiki Djiteye, his face streaked with mud as he joined the 'unifying' ritual.
'There's no bigger event in Djenne than this,' he told AFP.
'Replastering the mosque is a tradition handed down from generation to generation,' said Bayini Yaro, one of the women tasked with carrying water for the plaster mix.
Locals prepared the mix themselves, combining water, earth, rice bran, shea butter and baobab powder—a hallmark of Sahel-Sudanese architecture.
Chief mason Mafoune Djenepo inspected the fresh coating.
'The importance of this mosque is immense. It's the image on all Malian stamps,' he said.
A blessing ceremony followed the replastering, with Quranic verses recited in the mosque courtyard. Participants then shared dates and sweets.
First erected in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1907, the mosque is considered the world's largest earthen structure, according to the United Nations' cultural body, UNESCO.
Djenne, home to around 40,000 residents and known for preserving its traditional banco houses, has been on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1988.
The site was added to the endangered heritage list in 2016 due to its location in central Mali, where jihadist fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as ethnic militias and criminal gangs, have waged a violent insurgency since 2012. — AFP
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Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Malians gather to replaster Djenne's iconic mud mosque in annual heritage ritual
DJENNE, June 14 — Thousands of Malians have replastered the iconic earthen mosque in the historic city of Djenne during an annual ceremony that helps preserve the World Heritage site. To the sound of drums and festive music, townsmen on Thursday coated the towering three-minaret mosque with fresh mud plaster. The annual replastering with 'banco'—a mix of earth and water—shields the mosque from harsh weather ahead of the Sahel region's often violent rainy season. 'This mosque belongs to the whole world,' said Aboubacar Sidiki Djiteye, his face streaked with mud as he joined the 'unifying' ritual. 'There's no bigger event in Djenne than this,' he told AFP. 'Replastering the mosque is a tradition handed down from generation to generation,' said Bayini Yaro, one of the women tasked with carrying water for the plaster mix. Locals prepared the mix themselves, combining water, earth, rice bran, shea butter and baobab powder—a hallmark of Sahel-Sudanese architecture. Chief mason Mafoune Djenepo inspected the fresh coating. 'The importance of this mosque is immense. It's the image on all Malian stamps,' he said. A blessing ceremony followed the replastering, with Quranic verses recited in the mosque courtyard. Participants then shared dates and sweets. First erected in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1907, the mosque is considered the world's largest earthen structure, according to the United Nations' cultural body, UNESCO. Djenne, home to around 40,000 residents and known for preserving its traditional banco houses, has been on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1988. The site was added to the endangered heritage list in 2016 due to its location in central Mali, where jihadist fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as ethnic militias and criminal gangs, have waged a violent insurgency since 2012. — AFP
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Ancient Malian city celebrates annual replastering of mosque
DJÉNNÉ, Mali: Thousands of Malians have replastered the iconic earthen mosque in the historic city of Djenné during an annual ceremony that helps preserve the World Heritage site. To the sound of drums and festive music, townsmen on Thursday coated the towering three-minaret mosque with fresh mud plaster. The annual replastering with banco – a mix of earth and water – shields the mosque from harsh weather ahead of the Sahel region's often violent rainy season. "This mosque belongs to the whole world," said Aboubacar Sidiki Djiteye, his face streaked with mud as he joined the "unifying" ritual. "There's no bigger event in Djenné than this," he told AFP. "Replastering the mosque is a tradition handed down from generation to generation," said Bayini Yaro, one of the women tasked with carrying water for the plaster mix. Locals prepared the mix themselves, combining water, earth, rice bran, shea butter and baobab powder – a hallmark of Sahel-Sudanese architecture. Chief mason Mafoune Djenepo inspected the fresh coating. "The importance of this mosque is immense. It's the image on all Malian stamps," he said. A blessing ceremony followed the replastering, with Quranic verses recited in the mosque courtyard. Participants then shared dates and sweets. First erected in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1907, the mosque is considered the world's largest earthen structure, according to the United Nations' cultural body, Unesco. Djenné, home to around 40,000 residents and known for preserving its traditional banco houses, has been on Unesco's World Heritage list since 1988. The site was added to the endangered heritage list in 2016 due to its location in central Mali, where jihadist fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as ethnic militias and criminal gangs, have waged a violent insurgency since 2012.
Free Malaysia Today
06-06-2025
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Edgar Lungu, former Zambian president, dies at 68
Edgar Lungu became Zambia's sixth president in 2015. (AP pic) LUSAKA : Zambia's former president Edgar Lungu, who held power for almost seven years until 2021, died yesterday in a hospital in South Africa at the age of 68, his party and family announced. Lungu had been receiving specialised medical treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, the Patriotic Front (PF), his political party, said in a statement. 'My father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks,' his daughter and member of the country's national assembly Tasila Lungu-Mwansa said in a video shared on social media. 'His condition was managed with dignity and privacy with support from all well-wishers,' she said, without providing details of the cause of his death. Lungu, a trained military officer and lawyer, became the country's sixth president in 2015 after the death in office of his predecessor Michael Sata. While campaigning to be elected leader of the large but sparsely populated, resource-rich country, Lungu described himself as an 'ordinary Zambian of humble beginnings'. He narrowly won the 2016 election against Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) after a violent campaign that saw clashes between the two parties. He pledged to unite the country and rebuild the economy. Conservative Amnesty International said that repression under Lungu had pushed Zambia to the edge, with a 'brutal crackdown on human rights' and 'brazen attacks on any form of dissent'. On social issues, he revealed a conservative side, saying for example that gay rights were 'foreign'. Born in 1956 in Chadiza in eastern Zambia, Lungu was from the minority Nsenga ethnic group, but he often described himself as a non-tribal. 'In private, ECL, as he is affectionately known, was disarmingly personable and very down to earth,' Musa Mwenye, a former attorney general posted on X. He stepped down from the presidency in 2021 when Hichilema, the current president, won fresh elections by a landslide. He had said he planned to run for president again in the 2026 elections. President Hichilema expressed on social media his 'deep sorrow' at the news of Lungu's passing, calling Zambians to come together 'above political affiliation or personal conviction'. Lungu had suffered from recurring achalasia, a condition caused by narrowing of the oesophagus, for which he had been treated in South Africa.
