Virginia Friends of Mali

As of August 31, 2016, the well is essentially complete. A cement cap and steel access door with lock was installed after this photo was taken.  Help finish the well and build for girls' empowerment with The Richmond House in Segou! 

Coulibaly brothers' Bogolan Workshop, 2010, Artisan at work - one-handed!

According to an announcement by the president's office of the Malian government, the country will hold mayoral elections nationwide on November 20, 2016. The race in Richmond's sister city, Segou, will be between several candidates including Mayor Ousmane K. Simaga (incumbent since 2009) and current city councilllor (and Segou sister city commissioner) Madani Sissoko. Both men will be part of the delegation travelling to Richmond in October as guests of VFOM with assistance from the Richmond Sister City Commission. Stay tuned for details on their visit.    ------------ Mali: élections municipales le 20 novembre (officiel) Following excerpt translated by Google Translate. Click the link above to see entire story, in French. Malians are called to elect their mayors November 20 "throughout the national territory", seven years after the last municipal elections in this country plagued by unrest, the government said Wednesday.  The Council of Ministers met on W...

to be published in the Fall of 2016 by Edwin Mellen Press: The Limits of Democracy and the Post-Colonial Nation State: Mali’s Democratic Experiment Falters while Jihad and Terrorism Grow in the Sahara by Robin Edward Poulton and Raffaella Greco Tonegutti This book is a follow-up to the famous peace study A PEACE OF TIMBUKTU (1998). It tells the story of Mali's failures since the turn of the millennium, including the how and why Al Qaida and ISIS rose to prominence and helped undermine the democracy of Mali and the stability of the Sahara.