A pond in warming Mali is disappearing, and a UNESCO-listed fishing tradition is in danger

By MOUSTAPHA DIALLO
Associated Press

SAN, Mali (AP) — For hundreds of years, people have gathered in the southern Mali town of San for a collective fishing rite in June that begins with animal sacrifices and offerings to the water spirits of Sanké pond. The rite is on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. The collective fishing celebrates the town’s founding and marks the beginning of the rainy season. But climate change and heat waves are disturbing the tradition. Residents say the pond is starting to disappear. They fear it will take the town’s economic survival with it.