Hamady Bocoum

Malian archaeologist revolutionizing African historical narratives through iron age discoveries

Dr. Hamady Bocoum (b. 1961) upended Eurocentric views of African history through his excavations at Jenne-Jeno, uncovering a 2,500-year-old urban center that predated Islamic influence. His metallurgical analysis revealed advanced iron smelting techniques in 3rd-century CE Mali, documented in the National Geographic special 'Africa's Lost Kingdoms'.

As director of Mali's National Museum, Bocoum pioneered community archaeology by training locals in conservation methods. During the 2012 Tuareg rebellion, he organized secret shipments to protect 300,000 artifacts from destruction, using traditional Bozo fishermen's networks to smuggle relics down the Niger River.

His 2021 book 'Le Mali: 100 000 Ans d'Histoire' redefined Saharan trade routes as bidirectional exchanges rather than Arab-dominated networks. Bocoum currently leads the Tombouctou Manuscript Project, digitizing 400,000 medieval African texts that challenge colonial-era historical assumptions.