Born at the beginning of the 10th century, the Mali Empire emerged from the fall of Ghana. Literally, in Mandingo, Bambara and Dioula, the word Mali means “Hippopotamus”. This explanation is drawn from the fact that according to tradition, the founding father of this empire, Soundiata Keita, drowned in the Sankani river and turned into a hippopotamus. The inhabitants of the empire have always called their territory “Manden” and not Mali. For the Fulani, an ethnic group living in Mali since its creation, the inhabitants of Manden are Malinkés which literally means “Those who bring luck” and unlike the Bambara, Mandingo and Dioula, the word Mali means for the Fulani “to conclude an arrangement”.
The real origins of this empire remain unclear. If the date of the 10th century is correct, the creation is a little less so. Some historians believe that the empire was born from the fall of Ghana, which reigned in the Sahelian zone. Tradition, however, says that it was Baramandana who, following a drought that was torturing his kingdom, converted to Islam to ward off this fate. Oral tradition classifies the definitive rise of the Mali Empire by the fact that Marefamaghan whose 11 sons who succeeded him on the throne were successively killed by Soumangourou Kanté except Soundiata Keita who was saved by his infirmity. Shortly after, Sundiata took his revenge and became the founder of this great empire. He was later proclaimed king of kings of the Mansa.
The height of the empire
By beating his powerful rival Soumangourou Kanté, Soundiata Keita inaugurated the era of power of the new empire in 1235. The empire then included a good part of the territories between the Sahara and the equatorial forest, the Atlantic Ocean and the bend of Niger. Or the current territories of Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania and a large part of Côte d’Ivoire.
The emperor called Mansa Musa was highly respected for his wisdom. He set up a remarkable military and administrative organization. To complete these organizations, he established a charter called the Mandingo Charter. The latter was composed of 7 main pillars which governed respect for human life, freedom and justice. These pillars are: All life is life; the wrong demands reparation; the obligatory practice of mutual assistance; the watch over the homeland; ruin servitude and hunger, put an end to torments and wars, freedom for everyone to say, to do and to see.
Subsequently, he divided his population into 30 clans. 16 clans were made up of nobles and free men, 4 clans included the griots or Nasa Nani, 5 clans of Marabouts guardians of the faith or Nori Kanando Kulu and finally 5 clans of artisans.
In 1255 Sundiata Keita died. His reign was considered a time of peace, freedom and prosperity. At his death, the empire experienced a notable expansion from Cape Verde to Agadès, from southern Mauritania to the forest. But it was Emperor Kankou Moussa, successor to Aboubakar II, who made the empire known internationally. An intelligent and very pious ruler, he made two pilgrimages to Mecca in 1324 and 1325. These expeditions were not without consequences.
The economy was essentially based on agriculture, crafts, gold mining and the trade in ivory to the Mediterranean Basin. The empire had a very good relationship with its neighbors and opened up to large Mediterranean trade, which enabled it to repay the gold loans contracted. Religion was going well. Islam was renewed, spread and facilitated the settlement in the empire of literate Berber Arabs. Kankou Moussa therefore had school-mosques and libraries built in the major cities of the empire, such as Timbuktu, Diaka, Oualata and Niani, the capital.
The decline of the empire
On the death of Emperor Mansa Souleymane, heated succession disputes broke out and consequently weakened the empire and its stability. In 1400, the Mossis of Yatenga invaded the eastern provinces. In 1443, the entire loop of the Niger was lost to the new Songhai Empire. The Tuaregs took advantage of this and seized Timbuktu and Dienné.
After 1450, the arrival of the Portuguese on the coasts of West Africa contributed to disorganize all the life of interior Africa. Thus in 1465, Songhai annexed the provinces of the Niger region and dominated the northern provinces. In 1480, Oualata was violently attacked by the Mossis. The end of the empire definitely came in the 15th century with a joint attack led by caravan Tuaregs and Arabs.
