The Festival on the Niger

The Festival on the Niger, an immense celebration, takes place in Ségou, Mali, every February. It is one of the reasons to visit Mali. Since its inception in 2005, the festival has attracted a wide range of extraordinarily gifted performers, with an emphasis on African artists. The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year, and in addition to the well-known performers, young singers and dancers are also given the chance to perform on stage.

Ségou, the cultural capital of the Bambara kingdom and a city rich in history and open to the outside world, has emerged as a major center for contemporary African art. The festival facilitates interaction between professionals, art enthusiasts, and artists from Africa and elsewhere. In this year, there were 40 international specialists and 112 young, emerging talent participants. In addition to providing them with exposure, the festival provided an opportunity for reflection on the growth of visual arts in Africa and the creation of favorable conditions for that growth. More than 40 shows were held in Ségou at Ségou Art 2019, drawing more than 15,000 visitors from Mali and throughout the globe.