Banamba
| Banamba | |
|---|---|
 Banamba
|
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| Coordinates: 13°33′0″N 7°27′0″W / 13.55000°N 7.45000°WCoordinates: 13°33′0″N 7°27′0″W / 13.55000°N 7.45000°W | |
| Country |
 Mali
|
| Region | Koulikoro Region |
| Cercle | Banamba Cercle |
| Elevation | 372 m (1,223 ft) |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
Banamba is the capital of Banamba Cercle, one of the seven Cercles of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its estimated 2008 population is 7000. The town lies due north of the regional capital of Koulikoro, and is connected by a 40 km all-weather road via the town of Sirakorola, about halfway between the two. It is the location of the Lycée Franco-Arabe de Banamba.
It takes about twenty minutes to walk from one end to the other. There are old neighborhoods with narrow, winding alleys, and newer neighborhoods (particularly the NE) with a grid of wider streets. The market, the great mosque, the pharmacy, the post office, the Cercle building, the library, and the schools are all close together. Roads approach the town from all directions; the roads from Koulikoro (to the South) and from Kiban (to the East) are laterite. A line of ponds, dry before the rainy season, lies to the West of the market.
The main ethnic groups found in Banamba are the Bambara, the Soninke, and the Fulani. The original settlers, whose family names are Simpara and Makaji, are related to the Soninke. Everyone speaks Bambara except some of the bush people, particularly Fulani, who come in to market on Mondays, though other languages can be heard, including Moor.
On holidays (Muhammad's birthday and baptism, Ramadan, Tabaski) women dance to drums in various little corners around town. Sometimes on moonlit nights children dance to xylophone.
Banamba has a day reserved for weddings in June each year, and on that day dozens of marriages take place.
A day in March or April is marked for seining the fish out of the ponds. Until that day the fish are untouched. Then dozens of men and boys wade in with their homemade nets.
There are several soccer teams that play regularly. People play basketball and volleyball and ping pong at the lycée. Day to day social life consists mainly of walks around town chatting with passersby or making tea with family and friends. There are movies every night, including an occasional drama amid the karate spectacles. Dances are held at the school as often as once a month.
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Wikipedia