NHK World Heritage 100 Series

Narration Text

The town of Djenné sits along the Niger River in Mali in West Africa. It is a town of mud. The town’s history goes back over 700 years. It thrived on the river transportation of alluvial gold and traded in leather crafts and rock salt. This is the town’s meeting hall. This school teaches the Koran. 10,000 people live within a 1 square kilometer area.

The highest building in this town is the Great Mosque which stands in the city center. It was originally built around 1300 and then rebuilt in the early 20th century. People laid sun-dried mud bricks and plastered the walls with mud. The wood posts sticking out from the wall support the building. Being close to the Sahara desert, the area lacked building materials such as wood and stone. People learnt to build houses with the mud from the Niger River. When the mud is mixed with rice husks and straw and fermented for a month, it becomes very tough, thick and rain resistant. To build a house, local people first lay sun-dried mud bricks. The brick walls are covered in mud plaster. This protects the inside of the house from the heat. An old-style clay water pot keeps the water cold.

Mud is also used for clothing. Here mud is mixed with grass extract and painted on cloth. Where mud was applied, it was dyed in black. During the dry season, people make some minor repairs to the mosque. A major event is held here once a year. They re-plaster the mosque walls to cover dirt and cracks made by the wind and rain during the rainy season. Wood posts sticking out from the wall make an ideal scaffold. This is the time when the Djenné people come together; making the most of what nature has to offer. A unique way of life still exists in Djenné today.