Malians are racing to paint the large mosque mud

In a specific day of each year thousands of people in the city of Djenne in Mali meets to cover the Grand Mosque where the mud, according to Alex Duval Smith and Nadia Zeveni report.

This is because the history of the mosque in the city of Djenne in Mali to the third century AD, has destroyed many of the old structure of the mosque and rebuilt in the twentieth century, and the current structure is the largest mud building in the world. The population uses wooden ladders to reach the top of the building to be covered with mud.

It uses the population of these ladders made of wood and ropes to reach the high areas in the building to address the cracks. The clay layer is being eroded by rain and cracks appear due to changes in temperature and humidity.

Although the participation of thousands of people in this work and Tzahmanm at work, serious injuries do not occur between participants.

Different teams compete for the completion of its first. Laboulaye says Sahambu (15 Years): “There are no prize, but the privilege of participating continue throughout the year, and involved a respected”.

Teenagers passes mud baskets to construction workers who are painting the walls with mud.

The younger children are not the transfer of mud from the bottom of the river, and listed construction worker Limbaugh Bocoum names of materials favorite food they have, noting that they work better if they get a good meal.

This is today, the only year in which children can play with mud as they wish without complaint from their mothers.

Construction worker Boubacar Koromansa noted that a large number of people attending the flags of Mali this year, which is a signal, from his point of view, that people want to show their association with their country as violence.

By the time eight in the evening the temperature is more than 30 ° C, so that the mud dries put on the front of the mosque almost Java at about five o'clock.