Bozo
Quick facts about the Bozo
- Location: Mali
- Also Known As: Boso
- Status: Engaged by IMB
- Population: 200,000
- Primary Religion: Islam
- Number of Christians: 10
- Language: Hainyaxo, Tiéyaho (Tigemaxo), Tièma cièwe,
- The Bozo live in small villages on the edge of the Niger River. During rainy season, most of these villages are only accessible by boat.
- Bozo men and boys make a living through fishing, while women raise vegetables and tobacco in markets.
- Though they claim Islam, the Bozo still follow many traditional religious practices, including sacrifices to ancestral spirits and the water god "Faro" before undertaking a big fishing expedition.
Learn more about the Bozo!
To be a West African Bozo (pronounced BOH-zoh) is to be a fisherman and a boat builder. The word Bozo means “house of bamboo.” The river controls Bozo life. It could be said that the river is their life. They are a semi-nomadic people who travel the rivers of West Africa looking for the best fishing spots. Many Bozos supplement their food supply by farming during the rainy season. The vast majority of the Bozo practice folk Islam.
Images of the Bozo
