A Bamana family compound, Senou village, Mali

"Bamana villages are called duguw. They are comprised of compounds, often set off in the eastern Bamana country by mud brick walls. In this region, houses are usually rectangular and constructed of mud brick with roofs of wooden poles overlaid with dried mud. In the western and southern Bamana country, houses are usually round with thatch roofs. However, in recent years, rectangular mud brick construction has been increasingly adopted in this area." [Imperato P., 2001: Legends, Sorcerers, and Enchanted Lizards, Door Locks of the Bamana of Mali, Africana Publishing Company]. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the village of Senou, near Bamako. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.