Mali is a country in West Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Inside the capital, Bamako hitchhiking is fairly accepted - if you look like you have enough money (i.e. white skin) - and it's a reasonable alternative if you can't find a taxi at night. Apparently it's also possible to get rides with NGO 4WDs at the police check stations. Mali's borders to Cote d'Ivoire in the south and Algeria in the north are probably a bad idea.