A fashion show in Mali’s ancient city of Timbuktu promotes peace and local talent

In an open field at the edge of the ancient city of Timbuktu, Mali, young models walk the runway clad in colorful traditional attire during a “caravan for peace” fashion event that organizers hope will lift the spirits of a city scarred by jihadi conflict.

Surrounded by young talents and camels, renowned African fashion designer Sidi Ahmed Seidina Ali, known as Alphadi, called out at the event on Wednesday: “Let us all come! All those born in Timbuktu, return to your homeland, return to your hometown to work and show that this city is magical.”

Organized in partnership with local authorities, the two-day event showcased the color and finesse of dozens of local designers and models, some of them victims of the violence the city has suffered.

Timbuktu, a small city that was once the most prominent of numerous centers for Islamic learning in pre-colonial West Africa, has endured years