Cultural impacts of tourism: The case of the “Dogon Country” in Mali

Cultural tourism began to be recognized as a distinct product category in the late 1970s when tourism marketers and tourism researchers realized that some people traveled specifically to gain a deeper understanding of the culture or heritage of a destination (Tighe, 1986). In most regions of the world, particularly in Europe and North America, cultural attractions have become important in the development of tourism. At the global level, cultural attractions are usually perceived as being icons of important streams of global culture (Richards, 2001). Unfortunately, in developing countries, in which much of the earth\u27s magnificent heritage is located, the preservation of this heritage turns out to be very difficult because there are many challenges in the developing world that often thwart conservation objectives. Deeply rooted in its culture and resolutely opened to the world, Mali has witnessed a considerable increase in the development of tourism in the last ten to fifteen years. The country hosts a number of authentic attractions making Mali a sanctuary of African culture (an expression used by OMATHO , the Malian tourism board). Most visitors come to the country to see its rich and diversified cultural attractions among which the Dogon Country, home of one of the few ethnic groups in Africa that succeeded to preserve their rich cultural heritage from outside influence. Today, tourism has become a major source of income for the country and the Dogon communities, living in a very difficult environment, have found in tourism a major tool of economic development (see table 1 in Appendix 3). Today Dogon art has become famous and is particularly sought-after by collectors who offer generous prices for it. However, in Dogon communities, where traditional religious beliefs are partly expressed through masked dances and festivals, dances and masks bear a ritual meaning and the Dogon area is confronted to a cultural loss illustrated by the illicit trade of their cultural artifacts and the loss of value of their traditions and beliefs: tourism has become a major factor in the artwork leakage in the Dogon area, (Shackley, M. (2001) Managing Sacred sites: service provision and visitor experience, p.43). The goal of this study is to analyze the issue of tourism and its impact on the Dogon culture, discover the causes of the cultural changes affecting the Dogons today and understand whether they are the outcome of tourism development or the result of the normal evolution of the Dogon communities as they open themselves to the global community. This thesis is divided in five chapters and four appendices. A brief description of each chapter will be given in Chapter 1

Welfare Status of Rice Farming Household in Office du Niger, Segou Region of Mali

The study examined the welfare status of rice farming household in Office du Niger, Segou region, Mali. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 137 rice technology adopters and 65 non-adopters in the study area. Frequency counts, percentages, PPPMC and t-test were used for data analysis. About 45.0% of non-adopters and 29.2% of adopters were aged 31-40. Non-adopters and adopters had an average of 6 and 10 years of experience, respectively. Most adopters (73.0 %) and non-adopters (50.8%) had a farm size between 1-5 hectares. Most adopted rice varieties were Kogoni 91-1 (94.2%) and IR 32 mille (81.0%). There was a high level of adoption among 59.1% of adopters. About 61.0% of adopters, but 53.8% of non-adopters earned less than 500,000 CFA annually from other activities as against between 500,000 and 1,000,000 CFA among 58.5% of non-adopters and above 2,000,000 CFA for 67.2 % of adopters. Majority (61.5%) of non-adopters had improved welfare status as against 80.3% of adopters in the same category. Household size (r = 0.192), income gained from rice production (r = 0.482, p = 0.000) significantly influenced respondents’ welfare level. There was a significant difference (t = - 12.089) in quantity of rice produced by adopters (38544.73±17721.69768Kg) and non- adopters (11394.77±5244.97546). There was a significant difference (t = - 2.917) in welfare status of the adopters (1281790.88±525400.62012) and non–adopters (1037750.00±614462.87743). Office du Niger should intensify efforts at up-scaling dissemination of improved rice technologies to cover more rice farmers

Welfare Status of Rice Farming Household in Office du Niger, Segou Region of Mali

The study examined the welfare status of rice farming household in Office du Niger, Segou region, Mali. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 137 rice technology adopters and 65 non-adopters in the study area. Frequency counts, percentages, PPPMC and t-test were used for data analysis. About 45.0% of non-adopters and 29.2% of adopters were aged 31-40. Non-adopters and adopters had an average of 6 and 10 years of experience, respectively. Most adopters (73.0 %) and non-adopters (50.8%) had a farm size between 1-5 hectares. Most adopted rice varieties were Kogoni 91-1 (94.2%) and IR 32 mille (81.0%). There was a high level of adoption among 59.1% of adopters. About 61.0% of adopters, but 53.8% of non-adopters earned less than 500,000 CFA annually from other activities as against between 500,000 and 1,000,000 CFA among 58.5% of non-adopters and above 2,000,000 CFA for 67.2 % of adopters. Majority (61.5%) of non-adopters had improved welfare status as against 80.3% of adopters in the same category. Household size (r = 0.192), income gained from rice production (r = 0.482, p = 0.000) significantly influenced respondents’ welfare level. There was a significant difference (t = - 12.089) in quantity of rice produced by adopters (38544.73±17721.69768Kg) and non- adopters (11394.77±5244.97546). There was a significant difference (t = - 2.917) in welfare status of the adopters (1281790.88±525400.62012) and non–adopters (1037750.00±614462.87743). Office du Niger should intensify efforts at up-scaling dissemination of improved rice technologies to cover more rice farmers

Contrôle Physicochimique des Feuilles de Lippia chevalieri Moldenke Cultivé

Au Mali, le Malarial 5 qui est un Médicament Traditionnel Amélioré (MTA) produit en partie à base de feuilles de Lippia chevalieri est utilisé pour traiter les symptômes du paludisme simple. Les feuilles de Lippia chevalieri cultivé peuvent être utilisées pour la préparation des MTA lorsqu’elles sont de qualité. La présente étude portée sur le contrôle physicochimique a montré que les feuilles de Lippia chevalieri cultivé ont des teneurs en eau inférieures à 10%, celles des cendres totales un peu élevées et celles des cendres insolubles dans l’acide chlorhydriques à 10% faibles. Les meilleurs rendements des extractions sont obtenus par l’eau par infusion et par décoction. Plusieurs groupes chimiques comprenant entre autres des caroténoïdes, des coumarines, des mucilages, des flavonoïdes ont été révélés. In Mali, Malarial 5, which is an Improved Traditional Medicine (ITM) produced partly from the leaves of Lippia chevalieri, is used to treat the symptoms of uncomplicated malaria. The leaves of cultivated Lippia chevalieri can be used for the preparation of improved traditional medicines because they are of good quality. This paper focuses on the physicochemical control which showsthat the leaves of cultivated Lippia chevalieri contain less than 10% of moisture content. The total ash content was a little higher, and the acid insoluble ash was low. The best yields of extractions are obtained with water through infusion and decoction. Several chemical compounds including carotenoids, coumarins, mucilage, and flavonoids were revealed

Les transports urbains non motorisés en Afrique sub-saharienne : le cas du Mali

L'objectif de ce travail est l'identification des obstacles à l'usage de la bicyclette, ainsi que l'appréciation des possibilités de développement de l'usage de ce mode par des mesures pour éliminer ces obstacles. Le postulat de cette démarche est que la bicyclette est potentiellement un mode favorisant la mobilité dans un contexte économique difficile où l'ensemble des besoins de déplacements ne peuvent être assurés par les transports collectifs ou encore par des moyens individuels motorisés, en raison des coûts économiques de ces modes.Ceci a conduit les auteurs à appréhender l'ensemble de la mobilité pour analyser quelles pratiques de déplacements et d'usage des modes se sont développées et quelle peut être l'évolution de ces pratiques.Bicyclette ; modes de transports ; politique des transports ; étude des déplacements ; mobilité quotidienne ; Bamako ; Mali

Classification of Cocoa Beans by Analyzing Spectral Measurements Using Machine Learning and Genetic Algorithm

International audienceThe quality of cocoa beans is crucial in influencing the taste, aroma, and texture of chocolate and consumer satisfaction. High-quality cocoa beans are valued on the international market, benefiting Ivorian producers. Our study uses advanced techniques to evaluate and classify cocoa beans by analyzing spectral measurements, integrating machine learning algorithms, and optimizing parameters through genetic algorithms. The results highlight the critical importance of parameter optimization for optimal performance. Logistic regression, support vector machines (SVM), and random forest algorithms demonstrate a consistent performance. XGBoost shows improvements in the second generation, followed by a slight decrease in the fifth. On the other hand, the performance of AdaBoost is not satisfactory in generations two and five. The results are presented on three levels: first, using all parameters reveals that logistic regression obtains the best performance with a precision of 83.78%. Then, the results of the parameters selected in the second generation still show the logistic regression with the best precision of 84.71%. Finally, the results of the parameters chosen in the second generation place random forest in the lead with a score of 74.12%

Analysis of the Impact of Color Spaces on Skin Cancer Diagnosis Using Deep Learning Techniques

International audienc

Les transports urbains non motorisés en Afrique sub-saharienne : le cas du Mali

ISBN 2-908558-12-2L'objectif de ce travail est l'identification des obstacles à l'usage de la bicyclette, ainsi que l'appréciation des possibilités de développement de l'usage de ce mode par des mesures pour éliminer ces obstacles. Le postulat de cette démarche est que la bicyclette est potentiellement un mode favorisant la mobilité dans un contexte économique difficile où l'ensemble des besoins de déplacements ne peuvent être assurés par les transports collectifs ou encore par des moyens individuels motorisés, en raison des coûts économiques de ces modes.Ceci a conduit les auteurs à appréhender l'ensemble de la mobilité pour analyser quelles pratiques de déplacements et d'usage des modes se sont développées et quelle peut être l'évolution de ces pratiques

Les transports urbains non motorisés en Afrique sub-saharienne : le cas du Mali

ISBN 2-908558-12-2L'objectif de ce travail est l'identification des obstacles à l'usage de la bicyclette, ainsi que l'appréciation des possibilités de développement de l'usage de ce mode par des mesures pour éliminer ces obstacles. Le postulat de cette démarche est que la bicyclette est potentiellement un mode favorisant la mobilité dans un contexte économique difficile où l'ensemble des besoins de déplacements ne peuvent être assurés par les transports collectifs ou encore par des moyens individuels motorisés, en raison des coûts économiques de ces modes.Ceci a conduit les auteurs à appréhender l'ensemble de la mobilité pour analyser quelles pratiques de déplacements et d'usage des modes se sont développées et quelle peut être l'évolution de ces pratiques