Hospitality is one of Mali's good practices, and it has been so since the old days until now. If we look closely at the word hospitality in Bambara, it will show us its proper meaning. In "diyatiyatigiya" there is "di", which means honey. That shows us that "diyatiyatigiya" means making the foreigner's stay as pleasant as honey is sweet. Host him/her well, make sure he/she's not hungry or thirsty. Protect him/her and tell him/her about local practices and totems, since in Bambara we say: "The foreigner has big eyes, but he doesn't see very far away". So, "diyatigi" represents the eyes of the foreigner to make him/her avoid totems.

Everybody has to carry out these gestures for the foreigner in the family, in the village and in the country. Each takes care of the foreigner so that he/she has no problems during his/her stay…

If we talk about "diyatigi", we are talking about "dunan" who is the foreigner. In Bambara, this word also shows its meaning. In the word "dunan", we have "nan" which means the sauce prepared in the family. If we look closely at it, all the members of the family are equal with the sauce and in the same way; all the members of the family are equal with the foreigner who is visiting. So, the foreigner also has to be aware of this equality towards him and so does not have to make a difference between the members of the family. He/She must not do anything to show any member of the family an idea of difference created by the foreigner. That’s why, he/she must always plead for the peace and the harmony within the family and with this help the members of the family to make his/her stay more pleasant. He/She has to adopt the same behaviour in the village and in the country. That’s why in Bambara we say: “It’s better to leave the village than to change diyatigila”.

That’s why in Mali, wherever you live, you feel at home because we give you all the conditions you deserve.