Mali: Gift Economy

In many parts of the world, people are searching for alternatives to the cash economy. In Mali, one of the most cash poor nations in the world, "Dama" or the "Gift Economy" has been thriving for thousands of years. This system of exchange is not based on exchange or equivalence between the giver and the receiver, rather the receiver passes the gift on to someone else. The gift economy celebrates the value of life, putting human relationship over profit.