Tourism and school dropout in the Commune of Sangha

Over the last two decades, most African governments have become aware of the importance of tourism in the economic development of a country. Tourism is no longer considered as a simple factor of cultural development because, if well organized, it can be a decisive vector of development in all fields. In Mali, tourism brought hundreds of thousands of European and American nationals in search of exoticism and cultural sensations to the country each year, particularly to the Dogon Country and the city of Timbuktu, and contributed each year to the country’s budget balance.However, it should be noted that the development of tourism has not only had advantages, but also disadvantages, including its negative effects on the development of education in the host regions in general, and in the rural commune of Sangha in particular. Because of its many financial dividends, many students dropped out of school to become tourist guides, while no one should ignore that under-education is a major obstacle to the development of any country.