Staff Photographer
On first impression Bamako doesn’t appear to be much more than a dust bowl city.
But spend a few days wandering its quaint little side streets and interacting with some of its more than one million citizens and you will discover a whole new world of delights.
Sights
One of the first things to do when you arrive in Bamako is to head to the Hotel de l’Amitie and take the lift to the 14th floor. From there you will have a panoramic view of the city.
The second thing you should do is take a stroll along the bank of the River Niger, which will allow you to take a closer look at the impressive central bank building. Try to avoid doing this during rush hour or you’ll be choking on car fumes.
The Musée de Bamako is impressive and houses a fascinating collection of ancient Malian artefacts, including a textile section.
The main market is a pretty crazy place and you will most likely find whatever it is you are looking for here, although be prepared to barter for it. A good guide is not to pay more than half the original asking price.
Allow some time to visit the artisans’ market — the metal, leather and woodwork on sale are great and you should pick up some wonderful gifts and souvenirs.
Food
Bamako offers a smorgasbord of edible delights.
For the more adventurous traveller or the cash-strapped visitor the streets of Bamako and its vibrant markets offer some good eating options.
Fried fish and dough balls that are similar to the South African vetkoek are sold in abundance. For CFA1 000 (R18) you can eat a hearty meal. On the breakfast front the city has a number of good patisseries that serve excellent coffee with a whole host of croissants, cakes and pies.
Restaurant Central has an affordable menu of Lebanese food and the fish comes highly recommended.
There are also a number of Chinese restaurants in the north near the artisans’ market.
Two restaurants that we enjoyed were Restaurant L’Olympien, just off Lumumba Square in downtown Bamako, and Restaurant Bol de Jade next door. Restaurant L’Olympienis named after the French football side Olympique Marseille and serves Provençal French cuisine, excellent pizzas and also has a great circular bar, although it is rather pricey. Restaurant Bol de Jade has been serving Vietnamese food under the supervision of Madame Cat since the 1960s and the food is absolutely delicious.
Football
Football derbies are highly colourful and volatile affairs. So the opportunity to see two on the same day was an opportunity not to be missed.
It turns out that Bamako football derbies are not a rare occurrence, as nine of the 12 teams that make up the Malian first division are from Bamako, with Timbuktu, Sikasso and Segou making up the numbers with a team apiece.
When we arrived at the stadium a tout tried to sell us tickets, but we walked off after noticing that the tickets he was trying to sell to us were for Tunisia versus Egypt in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
We soon realised that all the tickets were for Egypt versus Tunisia — it seems that there were so many tickets left over from the tournament that they are still using them for domestic games in 2009.
Watching the fans was probably more fascinating than watching the football. To the north of the stadium fans lined up on an overhanging cliff face, obviously not wanting to pay the CF500 ticket price.
One of the teams even had its own cheerleading squad, which consisted of a number of drummers and dancers all decked out in their team’s colours.
As they whipped their team’s fans into a frenzy they were rewarded with a goal, which just added to the hysteria. Football in Mali is something that has to be experienced.
Music
On the music front Bamako has many riches to offer, although it is very much a hit-and-miss affair. A local guide who knows what’s going on would be a great help. Generally, Bamako’s nightlife is a late starter, with most live-music venues coming to life only at about 10.30pm or 11pm.
Friday and Saturday nights are the best nights for live entertainment and although some clubs have music throughout the week, they book the best bands for the weekend.
When you arrive in Bamako one of the first things to do is to head to the Centre Culturel Français to get a programme, as it hosts big monthly concerts featuring Mali’s top musicians and other touring West African stars.
Club Djembe in Lafiabougou is a dingy little bar that was filled with Malian soldiers and sex workers the night we decided to check it out, but the band was top-notch, banging out a great fusion of traditional Malian rhythms and American funk.
Espace Bouna is a large open-air club that regularly features Malian stars such as Habib Koite, Amadou and Mariam and Toumani Diabate, whereas Hotel Wassulu is owned by Malian diva Oumou Sangare, who often performs there on Saturday nights.
Other venues to check out include Savana and Cheval Blanc.