ABSTRACT
In Djenn, a move away from a monumentalist vision of cultural heritage toward an anthropological one is not straightforward. Djenn's status as a powerful Islamic centre within both Mali and West Africa seems to be assured through continuing fame of its mud Great Mosque as well as the vibrant scholarship in the town. Like other towns in Mali, Djenn has a very strong prayer economy, a term coined by Benjamin Soares. Djenn's Islamic heritage could be seen to be at odds with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) vision of the town, for example, in relation to the relevance of pre-Islamic archaeological material for Djennenks today. One association in Djenn that is working to preach moderate Islam is the Association Malienne pour le Soutien de lIslam (AMSI), an apolitical, pan-African association. In Djenn it is trying to find solutions to the problem of begging garibous, the child-students of marabouts, usually recruited from the villages in the surrounding countryside.
