Niafunké is a small town on the
Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...
in central
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
. The town is the administrative center (''
chef-lieu
An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located.
In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
'') of the
commune of
Soboundou in the
Niafunké Cercle of the
Tombouctou Region.
Niafunké was the hometown of musician and farmer
Ali Farka Touré, who moved there as an infant and went on to become the town's mayor in 2004. He invested much of his music income in an irrigation scheme.
''
Niafunké'' is also the title of an album he recorded there in 1999.
Toure's son
Vieux Farka Toure was also born in Niafunke.
References
Populated places in Tombouctou Region
{{Tombouctou-geo-stub