For the first time, Mali, and especially Bamako, is proudly hosting the African Cup of Nations. Every Malian is aware of the opportunity and the stakes involved in organising this high-level football competition, and they are all determined to do their bit to help make the festivities a success, and to practise the famous ‘Djatiguia’, an ancestral Malian tradition that combines hospitality, respect and fair play. Four people of different ages and backgrounds guide us through the situations and behaviours : Four people of different ages and backgrounds guide us through the situations and behaviours : Famaka, a young boy of 13, a regular member of the Djoliba football school (the Bambara name for the River Niger); Brama Traoré, the 81-year-old neighbourhood chief, admired and respected in the community for his role as mediator; Jimmy Camara, a musician and benefactor of his village of Macangana; and Adama Coulibaly, a mother and head of a Canadian NGO responsible for training programmes for the disabled. These four characters act as mediators for their compatriots and reveal the state of the country without ever undermining Mali’s reputation for solidarity and hospitality. Djatiguia obliges!