Old Towns of Djenné

• No management and conservation plan
• Pressure from urban development
• Deterioration of dwellings
• Waste disposal problems
• Encroachment of the archaeological sites
• Instable security situation

• Serious deterioration of materials in the historic town and continued decay at the archaeological sites
• Inappropriate interventions
• Erosion of the architectural coherence of the town
• Lack of enforcement and implementation of regulatory and planning tools

In progress

Adopted, see page  https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6678   

In progress

Total amount granted: USD 110,000 (Italian Funds-in-Trust); USD 23,100 (Croisi Europe); USD 86,900 (European Commission); USD 83,147. (Netherlands Funds-in-Trust); USD 71,090 (Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation); USD 9,052 (World Heritage Fund);

On 31 January 2024, the State Party submitted a State of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/116/documents/, and provides the following information:

Concerning the archeological sites:

• The 2m bollards installed since 2015 are still in place, but there is a lack of funding for their maintenance and the installation of new bollards;
• The protective test fences have been removed by individuals, except for one, and due to insecurity, all four sites were unguarded in 2023;
• 50 signposts have been installed on the sites in 2022;
• Erosion has been noted at archaeological sites, and a survey of the state of the gullies is planned;
• Most of the stone barriers installed to mitigate erosion have been damaged, and the measures taken to counter threats to archaeological sites are outdated;
• Mapping of the four sites is still in progress;

Concerning the old fabric of the town:

• Law No. 2022-034 of 28 July 2022, establishing the system for the protection and promotion of national cultural heritage, has been adopted;
• Two International Assistance requests have been submitted to support the updating of the management plans for the four Malian sites and for measures to combat illegal occupation of the riverbanks;
• The growing preference for modern techniques and materials is leading to interventions that alter the aesthetics of the architecture, threatening the authenticity of the property. This is also due to the difficulty of accessing traditional materials, exacerbated by the effects of climate change on the production of rice bran and on the plasticity of the land for banco, which is extracted on the outskirts of the town;
• A material bank has not been set up yet. The community maintains the houses, but on an irregular basis;
• A census of ruined or abandoned houses is carried out after each rainy season. To provide accurate figures, a mobilization of aid by the town's young people would need financial resources;
• Financial support from the World Heritage Fund in 2023 enabled emergency stabilization work to be carried out on Gartahou, the village chief's house;
• Sanitation problems persist in the old fabric and waste collection measures are not effective;
• The young people of Djenné clean the town's irrigation channels every week, and a women's association, "Badenya de Dioboro", cleans the front of the mosque every Tuesday after the market;
• In 2023, two bridges were built along the main road to facilitate the evacuation of wastewater into the river. Illegal occupation of the riverbanks stopped in 2023, and deterrent measures and community awareness campaigns have reduced the rush to the riverbanks. However, problems of insalubrity persist;
• The Management and Conservation Committee for the property was set up in 2014, but its members do not attend meetings regularly, and the Cultural Mission lacks a budget for participation costs. The insufficient budgets concern all of the actions and needs addressed in the report;
• A number of problems identified earlier continue to cause concern, including the inappropriate use of houses, the maintenance of poor people's houses, the construction of solid, high-rise buildings, the use of cement to fill in houses, and the use of signs without authorization;
• The development of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) will be finalized during 2024.

The State Party's report highlights a situation of stagnation, particularly with regard to the implementation of the corrective measures. However, it is reassuring to note that certain measures previously introduced remain operational and initiatives undertaken in the past continue to keep the ongoing commitment of the community and civil society active in their interventions on the old fabric.

The State Party's report also highlights the Government's ongoing commitment, as well as the efforts made by residents and communities. As an example, the mobilization of the town's young people and the "Badenya de Dioboro" women's association to combat the town's insalubrity is to be commended. The adoption of Law No. 2022-034 of 28 July 2022, laying down rules for the protection and promotion of the national cultural heritage, bears witness to the Government's mobilization, but the subsequent actions remain to be put into practice. The lack of financial and technical resources has been identified as the main obstacle to the protection and management of the property. In this regard, it is noted positively that the State Party has submitted an International Assistance request to update the Management and Conservation Plan (Plan de gestion et de conservation - PGC) for the property, in conjunction with the PGCs for the other three Malian properties, which had all come to an end in 2022. It is hoped that this work will reactivate the property's Management Committee, which was set up in 2014.

As for the urban fabric, the census, which also aims to list abandoned, ruined or partially collapsed houses, continues to be carried out by the Cultural Mission, as best it can due to a lack of funding, although the communities are showing their impatience regarding rehabilitation. It is also noted that the situation remains worrying due to persistent factors such as illegal occupation, sanitation and hygiene problems, solid and liquid waste management, as well as the use of modern materials that are incompatible with construction when work is carried out on the houses. The creation of a material bank, which has not been achieved yet, could alleviate the problem of access to traditional materials (such as quality rice hulls, monkey-bread tree and shea butter) needed to rehabilitate houses. The Cultural Mission is making commendable efforts to fill this gap by providing these materials wherever possible. However, it is to be welcomed that International Assistance has been granted to take action against the illegal occupation of the riverbanks, as has the emergency work carried out on the Gartahou, the village chief's house, which was in danger of collapsing.

As for the archaeological sites, the persistent insecurity that has led to the loss of surveillance staff is a cause for concern, especially as the measures taken to counter the threats to archaeological sites are outdated. This is illustrated by the illegal removal of protective fencing in areas with a high concentration of artefacts, and by the state of deterioration of the stone barriers erected along the river to prevent erosion.

It must be emphasized that, on the basis of the results achieved in the rehabilitation of monumental houses, such as the village chief's house, the report on which attests to its successful stabilization, it would be appropriate to mobilize funding at the same time as involving the communities, who are showing their impatience with the rehabilitation of their own houses. In addition, it would be wise to consider strengthening the capacities of the Cultural Mission in charge of the inventory, so as to enable an accurate assessment of the state of the site and to contribute to informed decision-making as regards the necessary interventions. It would also be advisable to finalize the drafting of a specific intervention guide for buildings in the old fabric, specifying the methods, materials and techniques to be used to ensure that authenticity is maintained.

Finally, it should be noted that the development of the DSOCR will be finalized during 2024 and will have to be submitted for adoption by the Committee at its next session in 2025.

In the meantime, it is recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.