The Great Mosque(s) of Djenné, Mali

Dr. Peter Clericuzio observes complex imperial hierarchies between Mali and France, through the Great Mosque(s) of Djenné.

Population 32,000, Djenné is a small city in Mali, itself one of Africa's less famous countries. Yet, the (third) Great Mosque of Djenné attracted international attention in the twentieth century, extolled as a symbol of the power and diversity of the global French Empire. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the architecture and complicated history of the Great Mosque(s) reveal the nuances of the French colonial enterprise during a stark transitional period.

PRESENTER: Dr. Peter Clericuzio, professor of architectural history and heritage at the University of Edinburgh.

ART: The Great Mosque(s) of Djenné, Mali.

IMAGE: ‘The Great Mosque of Djenné’ in L’Illustration (1911).

SOUNDS: Andrew Oliver Kora Band.

PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic.

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