AP Photo

Each spring, the entire community of Djenne, a small town in central Mali, gathers to repair the natural damage inflicted upon the town’s Grand Mosque in the previous year. The festival, known as the Plastering of the Grand Mosque, is celebrated with food, music, and dancing. First established around the thirteenth century and rebuilt in 1906, the mosque is the largest mud brick building in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its annual re-plastering lasts several days, and the event attracts participants from well beyond Djenne’s borders. Since more than 90 percent of Malians are Muslims, the Plastering of the Grand Mosque is deeply embedded within Malian society. It is the expression of a people who, over centuries, have cultivated a peaceful interpretation of...