Listeners swayed as the celebrated Malian duo Amadou and Mariam sang from a stage on the banks of the Niger River at an annual festival coloured this year by political shifts roiling West Africa.

As the festival evolved, fueling exchanges of food, stories and music, Mali's competing ethnic groups from the south (Bambara) and north (Tuareg) became acquainted with each other's — and their common ...

STORY: Tens of thousands of people this week flocked to the Malian town of Segou for a week-long celebration of music, art, theater and dance ... Just days before the festival, Mali, Burkina Faso and ...

for a week-long showcase of Malian music, visual art, theatre and dance. But this year's edition of the Festival sur le Niger took place against the backdrop of Mali's exit - along with Burkina Faso ...