History crumbles underfoot. Shoes crunch down upon Africa's Middle Ages.
Oral traditions continue to link the generations in Africa.
But tangible artifacts that connect epochs are rarer. Random holes in the ground, some disturbingly fresh, attest to the plunder of historical riches in this nation. But Mali is fighting back. Public buildings are papered with anti-looting posters, cultural centers have been established in outpost communities and village leaders have been enlisted to make the country's heritage a subject of everyday discourse. Mali holds a very important role in African history because of its position in trans-Saharan trade.