L'Essor
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| Type | Daily newspaper L'Essor Hébdo Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | AMAP (Agence Malienne de Presse et de Publicité) |
| Editor | Ousma Maïga |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Political alignment | Government |
| Language | French |
| Headquarters | Square Patrice Lumumba BP 141 Bamako |
| Website | www.essor.ml |
L'Essor (fr. Progress) is the state-owned national daily newspaper published in Bamako, Mali. Its motto is "La Voix du Peuple" ("The Voice of the People").
L'Essor was first published in 1949, and from 1953 was the official publication of the Union Soudanaise-Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, the leading anti-colonial political party of what was then French Soudan. Prior to independence, Bamako was home to a large number of such publications, produced by most political factions. Through the 1960s, most were outlawed, disbanded, or simply failed financially.
Following the 1968 military coup, L'Essor became the organ of the CMLN, Mali's ruling junta.[1] In 1979, as part of the move to civilian governance, the paper was transferred to the unitary political party of the former military rulers, the UDPM. During this period, largely due to better distribution and higher literacy, circulation grew from 12,000 daily (early 1970s) to over 40,000 (late 1980s).[2] Even after the fall of the Socialist government in 1968, the paper continued to carry articles from the Soviet and Chinese wire services, giving it an anti-Western slant. Most domestic writing prior to 1991 focused on local events and government decrees and speeches.[1]
Following the 1991 return to democracy, L'Essor was again transferred, this time to a new government owned printing and distribution house, the Malian Agency for Press and Publicity. While managed by the Malian Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, the AMP and L'Essor retain a high degree of independence from the government.