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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Narratives of the Nation and Democracy in Mali: A View from Modibo Keita's Memorial
Author:De Jorio, RosaISNI
Year:2003
Periodical:Cahiers d'études africaines
Volume:43
Issue:172
Pages:827-855
Language:English
Geographic term:Mali
Subjects:democracy
politicians
symbols of power
Politics and Government
History and Exploration
About person:Modibo Keïta (1915-1977)ISNI
External link:https://doi.org/10.4000/etudesafricaines.2265
Abstract:This article examines a few brief instances of the complex process of articulation of Mali as a democratic nation during Alpha Oumar Konaré's presidency (1992-2002). It focuses on the ways in which one of the founding fathers of the Malian nation and Mali's first president (1960-1968), Modibo Keita, is represented, contested, and reappropriated in recent narratives of the nation. The article thus analyses some of the divisions and contradictions of recent Malian politics via the analysis of a specific set of national narratives - those surrounding Keita's legacy. It begins by locating the two main producers of Keita's narratives, the government and the Union Soudanaise/Rassemblement Démocratique Africaine (US-RDA, one of the most vocal voices of the opposition), historically and within the present-day democratic context. It then moves to a discussion of the newly emerged State rituals surrounding Keita, in particular the anniversary of his death and the controversial creation of the Modibo Keita Memorial. It suggests that narratives on Keita have represented one privileged arena for the expression of the profound divergences between the opposition and Konaré's government concerning the meaning of national cutural heritage and, ultimately, the practice of democracy. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English and French. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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