As part of its mission to disseminate the nation’s patriotic values,
the Deputy Director General of the Musée des Armées, Colonel Sékou SY organized a conference-debate on Tuesday February 14, 2023 within his structure. The event recorded the presence of several military and civil authorities. Led by the Director of the Dokaïdara Multipolar Training Center, Professor Ibrahima N’DIAYE, this conference-debate aimed not only to explain the symbols of the State (emblems, coats of arms and seals) in the light of ancient traditions inherited from the Songhai Empire and Mali but also and above all to characterize the process which led to the creation of Mali and why the name ”Mali, Maliden and Malidenya”. It was also a question of evoking the foundations of the Nation through the 5 cardinal values called in Bambara “mogoya, mogossèbeya, mogossèbèdenya, horonya and sinankuya”. He, in his speech, made the history of the battle of Kirina in 1235 which opposed Soundjata KEITA to Soumaoro KANTE. He explained the origin and meaning of the coat of arms and seals of the Republic of Mali.
According to Professor N’DIAYE, since the earliest times, men have sought to distinguish themselves from each other by a visible sign to mark their rank within a group or their membership in a specific community. This ancestral concern for differentiation is at the origin of the individual and collective emblems that have worn over the ages. Speaking of the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Mali, the speaker noted that they are circular in shape and bear on a sky-blue background, namely the Djenne mosque in clay-gray, the legendary vulture in gliding flight in dark gray, the rising sun in golden yellow, two opposite arcs stretched by their arrows in black, at the top “Republic of Mali”, beats “one people-one goal-one faith”.
The coat of arms of the Republic is worn on the letterhead on the acts, correspondence and envelopes of the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the presidents of the Institutions of the Republic, the Mediator of the Republic, the Auditor General and heads of diplomatic and consular missions, he suggested. Professor N’Diaye also indicated that the reproduction of the coat of arms by any process and material whatsoever is subject to prior authorization from the Ministry of Justice Keeper of the Seals.
Regarding the Seal of the Republic, the Professor will say that it makes it possible to authenticate a public or private act, to mark the imprint of authority or ownership on an object. He added that this seal is circular in shape and bears a standing lion surrounded by an ear of millet, rice and an ox’s head, the legend “Republic of Mali” and above “a people-a goal-a faith”.
The Deputy Director General of the Musée des Armées, Colonel Sékou SY, for his part, thanked all the goodwill who contribute to the success of the mission of the Musée des Armées, which today promotes military cultural heritage. He took the opportunity to seek the support of the hierarchical authorities in order to highlight the military heritage.
Source: MALIAN ARMED FORCES