Mali’s Ministry of National Education has issued an urgent memo suspending the teaching of the 1789 French Revolution in all ninth-grade classes across the country.
The decision, made public on Thursday, October 9, 2025, cites the need for a curriculum adaptation to the national context.
Signed by Ministry Secretary General Boubacar Dembele, the memorandum directs all teaching academy directors and Educational Animation Centers to immediately remove the lesson on the French Revolution. The ministry emphasized that the suspension follows a re-evaluation of the school curriculum, aiming to better align teaching with Mali’s specific history and culture. Officials warned that any non-compliance would be subject to sanction.
This move is part of a broader push in several African countries to revise school curricula, making them more relevant to local social, cultural, and historical realities. While proponents view this as a necessary step toward asserting a stronger national identity, others question the exclusion of universal historical teachings, like the French Revolution, that have fundamentally shaped world history.
The curriculum suspension comes in a context of significant geopolitical changes for Mali. The country, a member of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), formally withdrew from the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) last March.
Mali’s withdrawal from the OIF—an organization it had been suspended from since the 2020 military coup—was motivated by a desire to strengthen national sovereignty and distance itself from international bodies perceived as being overly influenced by former colonial powers. The decision to suspend the French Revolution curriculum is seen by many as another step in this effort to redefine the nation’s international and cultural relations.
As of now, the Ministry has not announced a measure to immediately replace the suspended curriculum. The situation is considered fluid and may be subject to further revisions in the coming months.
MD/ac/fss/abj/APA