Amadou Ndiaye carefully traced his fingers over bumps on a sheet of paper, interpreting the world he can no longer see.

Two centuries have passed since the invention of braille, a tactile writing system that has revolutionized the lives of blind and partially sighted people, providing them with a means of literacy and independence.

“Braille has allowed me to live my life,” said Ndiaye, a social worker in Mali who lost his sight as a child. “Before, people wondered: Here is someone who can’t see—how will he manage? How will he fit into society?”

Mali, a West African nation with a population exceeding 20 million, has long faced challenges in integrating blind and partially sighted individuals. According to the eye care charity Sightsavers, an estimated 170,000 people in Mali are blind.

At 47, Ndiaye was fortunate to attend the blind institute in Mali, where he learned braille, telling himself, “Everything others do, I can do too.” He later went on to attend university.

He explained that braille enabled him to pursue his main passion: playing the guitar, which also highlights the importance of touch.

“Every pressure on the strings, every movement of my fingers on the neck, becomes a living note full of meaning,” Ndiaye shared.

The guitar plays a vital role in Mali's griot tradition, a form of storytelling through music. Musicians have adapted the guitar to mimic sounds of traditional string instruments like the kora. Artists such as Ali Farka Touré have blended Malian melodies with blues, creating a soulful and captivating sound that has earned global recognition.

Malian musical duo Amadou and Mariam ignited Ndiaye’s love for the guitar when he was a boy.

“One day, near a photography studio, I heard their music coming through the window, which inspired me to explore this world,” he recalled.

Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia, known as "the blind couple from Mali," gained international fame in the 1990s for their fusion of traditional Malian music, rock, and blues. Bagayoko lost his vision at 16, while Doumbia went blind at 5 due to untreated measles. They met at Mali's institute for the blind, where Doumbia was learning braille and teaching dance and music.

At such institutes, braille has helped students overcome challenges like slower reading and writing skills. With braille, students can take the same exams as others, paving the way for employment opportunities, said Ali Moustapha Dicko, a teacher at the capital’s institute for the blind.

Dicko, who is blind, uses a special typewriter to create braille texts for his students. However, he noted that his students still face challenges.

“We are facing a shortage of teaching materials,” Dicko explained, adding that he only has one braille reading book for his entire class of dozens of students.

But advancements in technology give hope to some blind and partially sighted people, suggesting that educational obstacles may continue to decrease.

“There’s software, and phones that speak, so many things are vocal,” said Bagayoko of the musical duo. “This helps us progress.”

However, Moussa Mbengue, Sightsavers' Senegal-based program officer for inclusive education, pointed out that such technological advances do not match the breakthrough braille represented 200 years ago.

“It cannot replace braille. In my view, technology complements braille,” he said.