Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses a situation in a particular place and time: Djenn, a mud brick town in Mali, at the turn of the 21st century. Djenn is a city with a complex identity. Ethnographic knowledge of Djenn can throw light on the distance that exists between a professional, heritage-led approach to Djenn and local conceptions of life in the town. Djenn's inscription on the World Heritage List has far-reaching consequences. The masons of Djenn are authentic. For tourists, electricity pylons and conspicuous modernity is inauthentic. The desire to preserve an authentic Djenn for subsequent generations is at the heart of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) project in the town. UNESCOs activities in Mali, which are all mediated through the Malian government, are the result of UNESCOs institutional concerns as much as a reaction to local realities.