In spite of being one of the poorest nations in the world, Mali has long functioned as a crossroads between northern and western Africa and has developed a valuable cultural tradition. Situated between the Arab world to the north and the black African nations to the south, it has for centuries been a cultural meeting place.Music and dancing are the most common cultural activities; they form an particularly valuable heritage among the Malinke and Songhai peoples. The Bambara and the Voltaic groups excel in the creation of wood carvings of masks, statues, stools, and objects used in animist worship. The tiewara, or gazelle mask, of the Bambara is remarkable for its fineness of line.

The government promotes popular culture principally through the Committee of Youth and Sports. Youth associations organize sports, theatrical, musical, and dancing activities. Competitions are presented in Bamako during the biennial Youth Week. The Malian Ballet Troupe performs throughout the world. Artists are trained both at the National Institute of Arts and at the Artisan Centre of Bamako.Mali's one newspaper, L'Essor, is published by the UDPM and is far less effective in disseminating information than is the radio, not least because its circulation is limited to the literate and effectively to Bamako. There are two cultural journals of note—the first, Sunjata (“Lord Lion,” leader in the ancient empire of Mali), is produced by the government, while the second, Jamana (“The Nation”), is independent.