Figure 1.-- Here is an engraving depicting a woman of the city of Timbuctoo (Timbuktu) in Mali). Source: Rene Caillie, 'Travels through Central Africa to Timbuctoo' (London, 1830). Although Timbuktu by the 19th century was a Muslim city, the woman didn't wear head scarves as was common in North Africa and other Arab areas. Yiounger children commonly did not wear clothing.

We do not have much fagion informzation on Mali, including chronological fashion trends. The area of modern Mali was emcompased by several important African empires (Ghana, Mali, and Songhai). We do not have details on clothing trends in these major African empires. Children especially youngwer children in the hot climate did not commonly wear clothes much of the time, but we have few details on what they might have worn. France colonized Mali and adjacent areas of West Africa in the late-19th century. Mali was called French Sudan, although the French made many boundary alterations. The French did not exert effective control of Mali until after the turn-of-the 20th century. Gradually French fashion began to appear. Mali became an autonomous republic within the French Community as the Sudanese Republic (1958). A brief confederation with Senegal know as the Mali Federation followed but lasted only a few months (1959-60). The Sudanese Republic after the collapse of the federation changed its name to Mali and withdrew from the French Community (1960).

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Created: 1:45 AM 1/20/2011
Last updated: 1:45 AM 1/20/2011