Fodé Kaba Doumbouya, also spelled Dumbuya, was a Diakhanke

marabout In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...

in the 19th century, one of the leaders resisting French and British colonial expansion in

Senegambia The Senegambia (other names: Senegambia region or Senegambian zone,Barry, Boubacar, ''Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade'', (Editors: David Anderson, Carolyn Brown; trans. Ayi Kwei Armah; contributors: David Anderson, American Council of Le ...

Early life

Fode Kaba Doumbouya was born in

1818 Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire. ** English author Mary Shelley publishes the novel ''Frankenstein ...

in Goumbel in Boundou, in what is now eastern

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. His father, Fode Bakary, was a prominent marabout and Islamic scholar who was invited first to the court of Faranba Tamba of Kabendu and later to Kerewane, near Pata, under the aegis of the local Nyancho ruler Silati Kelefa. At some point, the young Fode Kaba served under Maba Diakhou Ba.

Career

In the early 1870s, Fode Kaba rebelled against Silati Kelefa, killing him when he refused to convert to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, and also killing one of his key allies, a Fula

. The king of nearby Fuladu, Alfa Molo, set out to punish him. In 1873 he destroyed Kerewane and killed Fode Bakary, but Kaba was in Nioro du Rip looking for allies at the time. Upon his return he launched a war against the Muslim Fula and against local animists in general. In 1876 he launched a series of raids against Balanta villages near Sedhiou, until forced to withdraw by the French colonial forces stationed there.In 1877, Balde and his British allies pushed Fode Kaba west, where he massacred the people of the village of Bapikoum and rebuilt it as a large fortified tata called Medina. This would be his base for the rest of his life, from which he controlled Fogny and eastern

Kiang The kiang (''Equus kiang'') is the largest of the ''Asinus'' subgenus. It is native to the Tibetan Plateau in Ladakh India, northern Pakistan, Tajikistan, China and northern Nepal. It inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands. Other common nam ...

. In territory he controlled, Fode Kaba instituted a government based on Islamic principles, building mosques, posting ''talibes'' in conquered settlements, and banning the tapping of trees for

palm wine Palm wine, known by several #Names, local names, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm trees such as the Borassus, palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms. It is known by various names in different regions and ...

. He frequently raided the Jola, leading to local depopulation, and would sell captives into Fuladu in exchange for horses and guns. 1890 the British wanted to rid themselves of Fode Kaba, whose raids were harming the agricultural productivity of the emerging Gambia Protectorate, but the French sheltered him. In 1891 he signed a protectorate agreement with the French, and in 1893 ceded his lands in Fogny to them.

Downfall

In 1900, a dispute over some ricefields between two villages escalated. British attempts to mediate escalated to violence, and the chief involved fled to Fode Kaba, who refused to surrender him to the colonial authorities. In March 1901 a column led by Colonel Rouvel, commanding 366

Senegalese Tirailleurs The Senegalese Tirailleurs () were a corps of Troupes coloniales, colonial infantry in the French Army. They were initially recruited from Saint-Louis, Senegal, the initial colonial capital city of French West Africa and subsequently throughout W ...

, 44

Spahi Spahis () were light cavalry, light-cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the Arab and Berber populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, w ...

s, 3 cannons and 600 auxiliaries, marched on Medina. Ravel was supported by 400 cavalry under Alfa Molo's son Moussa Molo, as well as 800 men from the British West India Regiment (WIR) and the Central African Regiment (CAR). On the 23rd, French artillery breached the walls, and Doumbouya was killed in the ensuing assault.

Legacy

Fode Kaba Doumbouya is remembered as a folk hero in much of Casamance today. The Senegalese operation to quash the 1981 coup attempt against President

Dawda Jawara Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara (16 May 1924 – 27 August 2019) was a Gambian politician who served as prime minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of The Gambia from 1970 to 1994, when he was overthrown by Yahya Jammeh. Jawa ...

The Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

was named after him.

Sources

Bibliography

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