Mali’s Ministry of National Education announced on Friday that lessons on the 1789 French Revolution will be immediately removed from the Grade 9 history syllabus nationwide. The directive, signed on Oct. 9, 2025, instructs all academic heads to withdraw teaching materials related to the topic without delay.
The ministry did not publicly clarify the specific reasons behind the move, but education officials say the action is part of a broader curriculum reform aimed at centring national and African history in place of Western-centric themes. “Our history is not a footnote in someone else’s story — it is the foundation of our future,” said a senior official in Bamako.
Given Mali’s ongoing efforts to redefine its educational identity and distance itself from the legacy of French colonial influence—evidenced by its withdrawal from the International Organisation of La Francophonie—this change is being interpreted as a symbolic assertion of educational sovereignty.
The reform contributes to a continental shift: several African nations are reevaluating inherited curricula and reshaping them to emphasise local civilizations, resistance movements and post-colonial narratives. However, critics warn that excising globally significant historical events such as the French Revolution may limit students’ exposure to universal political concepts like democracy and human rights.
