THEME: "Environmental Solutions"
Rich with history and opened to the world, Ségou, a region of culture, will become the scene of a multidisciplinary festival where art and people meet other during four days. After the very successful festivals since 2005, the festival on the Niger opens Segou's gates once again and offers you a unique spectacle on the river and its banks, from January 28, till February 1st, 2009.
A scientific FORUM: "Local knowledge, and development"
The review of "Local Knowledge: and "Development" notions, comes within the prospect of a new approach to "development" which breaks away from the traditional approach based on technology transfer. Our guest will cover three sub-themes: "Local knowledge and environment", "Cultural identity and globalization", and "Cultural identity and migration". How can these local knowledge be a development factor? What responses are brought to the challenges of our cultural identities in the face of globalization? These are the main question of the forum that will take place Thursday January 29th 2009 at the City Hall.

TRADITIONAL ACTIVITIES: "Ségou accueille Mopti et Tomian"
Traditional troops will reveal to you the great cultural richness of our ancestral rites; this is unique opportunity to discover these ceremonies which tend to be forgotten and for which the festival serve new space for expression.
Music, dances masks and puppets, Tales and legends of Mali, Hunter shows, pirogue race…
This year the invited region is Mopti, and Tomian the invited Cercle.

ART EXHIBITS: "LOVE"
- An international meeting of west African artists in the "Korè" gallery at quay of arts, on the theme ''Love''
- An exhibition of the famous Malian sculptor, Amahiguiré Dolo, in his new exhibition "Anemy sculpture",

INTERNATIONAL FAIR OF SEGOU Where the imagination and creativity of the local craftsmen and farmers will meet.

CONCERT SUR LE FLEUVE
Oumou Sangaré
Abdoulaye Diabaté
Oumar Koita
Coumba Gawlo (Senegal)
Narimbo (Mexico)
Bassekou Kouyate
Mamar Kass (Niger)
Atlantida (Portugal)
Super Biton de Ségou
Les Amazones (Guinee)
Haira Harby
Adja Soumano
Mamdou Diabate (djelikedjan) Babani Kone

This year the festival begins on January 28 with "the voyage in the roots of the festival' in Tamani the village of Bamzoumana Cissoko symbol of the music Malian, and the opening ceremony will take place on water the night of Thursday January 29, with the reconstitution of a Bambara traditional evening Bambara "Famakadisongo" a spectacle rich in sounds and lights not to be missed.