Until recently , Mali was better known for its music , mosques and manuscripts than for conflict . Andy Morgan : We 'll probably never know the whole truth . Music and culture are Mali 's shop-window to the world , its primary asset . Conflict turns musicians , artists and writers into frontline soldiers , says Morgan . The country is a major producer of oil, but it has been unable to export enough because of political instability in neighboring countries like Niger or Burkina Faso. In Mali they 're still singing , still writing , still fighting .
Until recently , Mali was better known for its music , mosques and manuscripts than for conflict . Andy Morgan : Music and culture are Mali 's shop-window to the world , its primary asset . Conflict turns musicians , artists and writers into frontline soldiers , says Morgan . The country is a major producer of oil, but it has been unable to export enough because of political instability in neighboring countries like Niger or Burkina Faso. In Mali they 're still singing , still writing , still fighting .