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Belgium's Princess Mathilde is unlikely to forget the rapturous reception she has received in the African nation of Mali. The royal visitor, who is making a four-day visit to the land-locked country, was greeted by over a hundred local women when she stepped down onto the tarmac at Bamako Airport.
The colourfully-dressed welcome party danced and applauded enthusiastically for their VIP guest. And Mathilde found herself on the receiving end of an equally impassioned greeting, this time from a huge crowd of children, when she paid a visit to one of the city's schools the following day.
The future queen will also be taking some eye-catching souvenirs back to Brussels - her hosts weren't about to let her go home empty-handed.
But there was a more serious side to trip: Mathilde was accompanied by International Cooperation Minister Armand De Decker, who is overseeing efforts to help the beleaguered country. Mali faces a tough challenge if it is to tackle the problems of poverty, women's rights and the spread of HIV. But the former French colony is getting a helping hand from the Belgian government, which is pumping millions into bilateral cooperation programs.
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