The photographic exploration of the West Africa nation of Mali continues with today's selection of nine images. The initial motivation for traveling to Mali is my love of its music and artists such as Toumani Diabaté, Ali Farka Touré, Amadou & Mariam, to name a few well known ones. But beyond its wonderful music, it was the incredibly photogenic scenes of daily life I came across, pretty much everywhere I went. I will be posting more photos of Mali in the days to come. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: View the gallery of photos from Mali here.

Young boy wearing a t-shirt with the picture of US President Barack Obama, Konsogou Ley, Dogon Country, Mali.

A dogon woman sitting in a courtyard pours millet into a calabash container, Dioundourou, Dogon Country.

A family travels on a donkey carriage, on the shore of the Niger river.

A man wearing a traditional qamis (robe) walks past a mudhouse near Ségou.

A boy steers a small sailboat on the Niger river, Mali. Western Africa's most important river springs in Guinea, stretches over four thousand kilometers and crosses Mali, Niger, Benin and Nigeria. Its basin covers over 7% of Africa's landmass. The river's inner delta, in central Mali, is a swampy region which floods annually making it very productive for fishing and agriculture.

Crocodiles lay on the edge of a 'sacred pond' in Amani, Dogon country.

A jewelery artisan hammers a silver strip on an anvil at his studio, Ségou.

A woman and her children walking near a large tree in the small village of Sibé, along the Niger river.

Roadside hair salon outside Bamako, Mali.

On my way to Timbuktu (Mali), I came across this scene on the shore of the Niger river: a mother comforting a little girl with a handful of peanuts.

A woman sits on the ground at the market in Markala, near Ségou, Mali. Markala is home to a Festival of Mask and Puppetry and Ségou hosts one Mali's largest cultural festival: Festival Sur Le Niger. You can see Tim Short's video of this festival here.

One of the highlights of my discovery of the Dogon plateau was the series of dances performed in the village of Tireli. Under intense heat, dozens of villagers performed sacred dances, wearing an array of colorful masks and dresses. Watch a short and fascinating National Geographic video on the Dogon Dama (mask festival in honor of elders) here.

More photos of Mali here.

My two-month photographic exploration of eastern and western Africa has come to an end. As I reminisce and browse the many images, the feeling of incompleteness is great. Not so much because of a lack of worthy images but more with the realization that a proper exploration could take a lifetime, even when narrowing down one’s photographic interests in the continent.

To order prints of the photos below, simply click on any image, or visit the Rwanda, Kenya or Mali galleries.

While  researching Rwanda – my first african stop – it was hard to escape the historical and sociological aspects of the 1994 genocide. And one wouldn’t want to avoid this either, as reading about Rwanda’s recent past will help gain a better understanding about the country’s path to becoming an african model of political stability and economic growth.

Roughly the size of Belgium, Rwanda’s population density is the highest in Africa. Aptly named “land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda is carved by endless lush ridges and valleys. With a million inhabitants, Kigali is a capital sprawling on four hills. Even with its lights, traffic, numerous modern buildings and markets, Kigali still feels like a village, never too far from the countryside. A trip to Rwanda would be incomplete without a visit to the Genocide Memorial Centre. The very detailed historical account and audiovisual displays are a deeply moving reminder – and warning – of the darker side of humanity. In the course of a hundred days, an organized campaign of terror exterminated more than 800,000 people in the most brutal way. The colorful and meticulously tended gardens of the memorial are interspersed with large slabs of concrete covering mass graves containing over a quarter of a million victims. An even more heartbreaking part of the memorial is a section recounting the fate of children. On display are a number of pictures with names, ages, favorite food and a note detailing the way they were killed.

Rwanda is now on a fast track to growth. Its government’s focus on national unity and economic development are a world away from the atrocities of half a generation ago. Rwanda attracts a rapidly growing number of visitors and many rwandese living abroad return home to participate in their country’s  development. It’s easy to see why: economic policies implemented with environmental protection at their core, a focus on tackling corruption,a very palpable sense of social unity and wealth of stunning nature destinations and activities. Rwanda’s ecotourism jewels are undoubtedly Nyungwe National Park, and Parc National Des Volcans.

The extremely bio-diverse Nyungwe forest is also one of the richest areas in terms of endemic species in all of Africa. I hired Claver Ntoyinkima,  a vastly experience bird tracker to help with the identification the forest’s numerous bird species. Home to the famous yet endangered mountain gorillas, Parc National Des Volcans is a must-do. An encounter with some of our closest relatives will leave indelible memories. With just over 700 left, the heavily protected mountain gorillas invite so much interest that only 50 visitors a day are issued trekking permits to see them. Here is an early selection of images from Rwanda. More to come.

The sun sets in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

Aerial view of the lush valley and hills near Kigali.

Guhonda, the largest mountain gorilla silverback in the world, at the Volcanoes National Park.

A female mountain gorilla ambling through a clearing in the dense bamboo jungle of Mount Sabinyo.

The road leading to Lake Kivu and the distant hills of Kavumu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A couple of cinnamon-chested bee eaters deep inside Nyungwe forest.

A young rwandese boy and his family near Kirimbi.

An open air market in Gitisi.