Mali

Estimated population 12.5 million

Population density (people per square mile) 31

Population doubling time 25 years

GDP per capita US$ 715

Population doubling time in years:

USA 79. Canada 81. Germany declining. UK 248. Russia declining. China 110. Philippines 41.

Population density (people per square mile)

USA 85. Canada 9. Germany 593. UK 660. Russia 21. China 368. Philippines 795.

GDP per capita in US$:

RECENT HISTORY

Former French colony until gaining independence in 1960

Keita, the new country's first president, rapidly replaced French civil servants with Africans, distanced the country from France, established close diplomatic relations and economic ties with communist-bloc countries, and built a state-run economy. In 1962 Mali issued its own nonconvertible currency, although Keita entered into monetary negotiations with the French in 1967 to prop up a sagging economy. Keita, while claiming to be nonaligned, regularly supported the communist bloc in international affairs. His radical socialist political and economic policies and a cultural revolution launched in 1967 led to widespread popular discontent.

In 1968, a military coup that overthrew Keita and his government resulted in a Military Committee of National Liberation that ruled Mali from 1969 to 1979, when a civilian government was elected.

In 1974, Malians overwhelmingly approved a new constitution with Traoré serving as head of state. In 1979, Traoré was elected president, and he was re-elected in 1985. During the 1980s Traoré gave civilians access to the government through regular local and national elections, and he also dealt effectively with protests and with a number of coup attempts.

Traoré consistently followed a pragmatic foreign policy, maintaining close relations with both France and the communist bloc. During the 1980s he made concerted efforts to improve relations with other Western countries, including the United States, which were linked to his attempts to attract foreign investments, diversify the economy, and promote a private sector.

By 1991 movements for greater democracy had gained a foothold in Mali but were rejected by Traoré's regime, which claimed that the country was not ready for such change. Demonstrations and riots broke out in major urban centres, leading to a military takeover in 1991 and the imprisonment of Traoré. The new military government, led by Amadou Toumani Touré, promised a quick return to civilian rule and held a national conference attended by major associations and unions. Elections were held in 1992, and Alpha Konaré, a prominent civilian intellectual, won the presidency.

A new constitution and a multiparty government raised hopes of a more democratic future.

President Konaré's efforts to rebuild Mali were hampered, however, by a weak economy, drought, desertification, a bloated civil service, decreasing foreign aid, and the French government's devaluation in 1994 of the CFA franc.

In 2002 Touré, the former military leader who had handed the government over to civilians in 1992, was elected president of the country on a nonpartisan platform; he was re-elected in 2007. His administration was faced with continuing economic problems, some of which were partially alleviated by debt relief—particularly the significant relief granted in 2003 and 2005.

EDUCATION

French, spoken by only a very small segment of the population, was the only language of instruction until 1994, when national languages such as Bambara and Fula were introduced into primary schools. Mali utilizes an educational track resembling the school system in France. Primary and secondary education are compulsory and free from 7 to 16 years of age and are combined in the nine-year curriculum. The general secondary school provides the last three years of traditional secondary education.

In the early 21st century, Mali remained a vast, poor country where opportunities for even primary education were extremely limited, especially in rural areas or among the nomadic peoples of the north. The World Bank began to assist Mali in 2000 by providing credit so that the country could expand its educational system. At that time only slightly more than half the population entered primary school. Expanding educational opportunities for the female population was also of interest to the Malian government. The country's literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world, with estimates varying between two-fifths and one-third of the population being able to read. The literacy rate of women is significantly lower than that of men.

Other school reform has focused on such programs as “ruralization,” in which rural schools teach students about trades such as sewing, building, and farming in addition to such subjects as French, history, mathematics, and geography.

Higher education—geared directly to the needs of the government—is offered by the University of Bamako (1993) and state colleges, which include teacher-training colleges, a college of administration, an engineering institute, an agricultural and veterinary science institute, and a medical school. Many of Mali's university students study abroad, especially in France and Senegal.

Back to Education and Indoctrination