Sikasso


Sikasso is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Cercle and the Sikasso Region. It is Mali's second largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census.

History

Sikasso was founded at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Mansa Douala. The town was a small village until 1876 when Tieba Traoré, whose mother came from Sikasso, became King of the Kénédougou Empire and moved its capital there. He established his palace on the sacred Mamelon hill and constructed a tata or fortifying wall to defend against the attacks of both the Malinke conqueror Samori Ture and the French colonial army. The city withstood a long siege from 1887 to 1888 but fell to the French in 1898. Rather than surrender to the colonial army, Tieba's brother Babemba Traoré, who had succeeded him as king, committed suicide, honoring the famous Bamanankan saying "Saya ka fisa ni maloya ye".
Attractions today include the large market, Mamelon hill, the remains of Tieba Traoré's tata, and the nearby Missirikoro Grotto. The festival Triangle du balafon takes place every June, celebrating the traditional Malian instrument.
Sikasso's sister city is Brive-la-Gaillarde, France.

Geography

Located southeast of Bamako, north of Côte d'Ivoire, and west of Burkina Faso, Sikasso acts as a crossroads between the coastal countries and the landlocked Mali and Burkina Faso. Sikasso's ethnic groups include the Senufo Bamana,, the Bobo, and the Minianka.
Sikasso has abundant agriculture. Sikasso's fruit and vegetable production guarantees the city's self-sufficiency, sparing it from reliance on international food aid.

Climate

Sikasso features a tropical wet and dry climate under the Köppen climate classification. The city receives just under of rain each year, most of which falls between May and October. August is the wettest month, with an average rainfall of. The highest temperatures are reached at the end of the dry season in March and April when the average daily maximum temperatures are just above.

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Diocese of Sikasso, Église Chrétienne Évangélique du Mali, Assemblies of God.