From Timbuktu to Washington is an invitation to think about Mali and her important place in the wider world. Mali's influence in West Africa and beyond has been felt for centuries. But her regional, continental, and global connections are not just part of the past. From Timbuktu to Washington also speaks to us about Malians' ongoing interest in actively forging new links worldwide.

Mali is an independent, democratic, culturally diverse, predominantly Muslim nation, formerly part of French West Africa, that sits at an important nexus of West African culture. Many of the country's ethnic groups extend across her national borders, tying Malians in very real ways to the nations that surround her. While Malian citizenship is a source of great pride, people also remember and honor their family and communities outside the country, seeing themselves as citizens of Africa and the world as well.

Over the past 1,200 years Mali has given birth to powerful empires--Ghana, Mali, and Songhaï--whose influence transcended Mali's current boundaries.