Paper long abstract:

Heritage memory and inconsistent temporalities in Djenne, Mali

Charlotte Joy and Michael Rowlands UCL.

We begin with a discussion of the formation of a colonial identity for Mali through identification of a heritage memory with mud architecture. The image in particular of the Djenne mosque in cartes de visites, postage stamps and brochures led to the recognition of Soudanic architecture as a unique architectural form and its identification with nostalgic memory in France. This forms the basis for current UNESCO world heritage status for such architecture in Mali and one of the attractions for the significant tourism that now is a mainstay of the economy. Yet this focus on architecture is full of contradictions both in terms of alternative colonial visual histories of Mali and in the current restoration programmes enacted under the world heritage status