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Langston Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers. |
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To visit Djenne is to step back into time. The town is surrounded by water. The architecture, the world's largest mud mosque, and the insularity all contribute to a unique experience.
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When
the Traveler first saw the Niger, he wondered if the River had inspired
Langston Hughes to create such a powerful poem. The importance of
the river to the people of Mali cannot be measured.
At
the junction of the Bani and Niger Rivers is Mopti. As commerce
and tourism grow on the Niger, so grows Mopti. Just as Segou's glory
is past, Mopti s glory is now, and, perhaps, into the future. This
is a town of hopes, dreams, greed, success, and failure. It is from
this town of contrasts that the travelers went on to Djenne.
The Dogons are Muslims and animists. The richness and complexity of their animist beliefs are discussed in a book entitled Conversations With Ogotemmeli by Marcel Griault.
The classic Dogon village is laid out in the shape of a human being. Each house is an artery within the body.
The design of each house is unique and strives for a Dogon sense of order.