West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
n
ethnic group
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
primarily found in southern
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
,
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 ...
, southern
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 ...
and eastern
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the
Mandé peoples
The Mandé peoples are a linguistic grouping of those African nations who speak Mande languages. The various Mandé-speaking nations are concentrated in the western regions of West Africa.
The Mandinka or Malinke, a western Mandé nation, a ...
Manding languages
The Manding languages (sometimes spelt Manden) are a dialect continuum within the Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo family spoken in West Africa. Varieties of Manding are generally considered (among native speakers) to be mutually intelligible ...
in the
Mande language
The Mande languages are a family of languages spoken in several countries in West Africa by the Mandé peoples. They include Maninka (Malinke), Mandinka, Soninke, Bambara, Kpelle, Jula (Dioula), Bozo, Mende, Susu, and Vai. There are aro ...
family, which are a ''
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...
'' in much of West Africa. They are predominantly
subsistence farmers
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
and live in rural villages. Their largest urban center is
Bamako
Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country.
Bamak ...
, the capital of Mali.
The Mandinka are the descendants of the
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire (Manding languages, Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or ''Manden ...
, which rose to power in the 13th century under the rule of king
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita ( Mandinka, Malinke: ; 1217 – c. 1255, N'Ko spelling: ; also known as Manding Diara, Lion of Mali, Sogolon Djata, son of Sogolon, Nare Maghan and Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba) was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire. He was als ...
, who founded an empire that would go on to span a large part of West Africa. They migrated west from the
Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...
in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. Nowadays, the Mandinka inhabit the
West Sudanian savanna
The West Sudanian savanna is a tropical savanna ecoregion that extends across West Africa.
Geography
The ecoregion stretches east and west across West Africa, from the Atlantic coast of Senegal to the Mandara Mountains on Nigeria's eastern bor ...
region extending from
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 ...
and the
Casamance
Casamance is the area of Senegal south of the Gambia, including the Casamance River. It consists of the Lower Casamance (, —i.e. Ziguinchor Region) and the Upper Casamance (, —i.e. Kolda and Sédhiou Regions). The largest city of Casamance ...
region in
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 ...
,
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
,
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
and
Guinea Bissau
Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to its north and Guinea to its southeast.
Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kin ...
. Although widespread, the Mandinka constitute the largest ethnic group only in the countries of Mali, Guinea and The Gambia. Most Mandinka live in family-related compounds in traditional rural villages. Their traditional society has featured socially stratified castes. Mandinka communities have been fairly autonomous and self-ruled, being led by a chief and group of elders. Mandinka has been an oral society, where mythologies, history and knowledge are verbally transmitted from one generation to the next. Their music and literary traditions are preserved by a caste of
griot
A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
s, known locally as ''jalolu'' (singular, ''jali''), as well as guilds and brotherhoods like the '' donso'' (
hunter
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...
s).
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, many Mandinka people, along with numerous other African ethnic groups, were captured, enslaved and shipped to the
Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
. They intermixed with slaves and workers of other ethnicities, creating a Creole culture. The Mandinka people significantly influenced the African heritage of descended peoples now found in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
and, to a lesser extent, the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
., Quote: "The identification of Mande influence in the South
nited States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
the Caribbean and Brazil, must also be conditioned with a huge reality—ethnic diversity. Slaves from hundreds of ethnic groups from all over Africa came into the South and the rest of the Americas along with the Mandinka/Mande."
History
Origins
The history of Mandinka, as with many Mandé peoples, begins with the
Ghana Empire
The Ghana Empire (), also known as simply Ghana, Ghanata, or Wagadu, was an ancient western-Sahelian empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali.
It is uncertain among historians when Ghana's ruling dynasty began. T ...
, also known as Wagadu. Mande hunters founded communities in
Manden Manden may refer to:
*Manding languages, spoken by the northern group of...
*Mandé peoples
The Mandé peoples are a linguistic grouping of those African nations who speak Mande languages. The various Mandé-speaking nations are concentrated i ...
, which would become the political and cultural center of the Mandinka, but also in
Bambuk
Bambouk (sometimes Bambuk or Bambuhu) is a traditional name for the territory in eastern Senegal and western Mali, encompassing the Bambouk Mountains on its eastern edge, the valley of the Faleme River and the hilly country to the east of the r ...
and the
Senegal river
The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...
valley. The Mande diaspora from Ghana extended from the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
to
Gao
Gao (or Gawgaw/Kawkaw) is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley.
For much of its history Gao was an imp ...
.
The mythical ancestors of the Malinké and the
Bambara people
The Bambara ( or ''Banmana'') are a Mandé peoples, Mandé ethnic group native to much of West Africa, primarily southern Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal. They have been associated with the historic Bambara Empire. Today, th ...
are Kontron and Sanin, the founding "hunter brotherhood". Manden was famous for the large number of animals and game that it sheltered, as well as its dense vegetation, so was a very popular hunting ground. The Camara (or Kamara) are believed to be the oldest family to have lived in Manden, after having left Wagadou, due to drought. They founded the first village of Manding, Kiri, then Kirina, Siby, Kita. A very large number of families that make up the Mandinka community were born in Manden. Manding is the province from which the
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire (Manding languages, Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or ''Manden ...
started, under the leadership of
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita ( Mandinka, Malinke: ; 1217 – c. 1255, N'Ko spelling: ; also known as Manding Diara, Lion of Mali, Sogolon Djata, son of Sogolon, Nare Maghan and Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba) was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire. He was als ...
. The Manden were initially a part of many fragmented kingdoms that formed after the collapse of
Ghana empire
The Ghana Empire (), also known as simply Ghana, Ghanata, or Wagadu, was an ancient western-Sahelian empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali.
It is uncertain among historians when Ghana's ruling dynasty began. T ...
in the 11th century.
Mali Empire
During the rule of
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita ( Mandinka, Malinke: ; 1217 – c. 1255, N'Ko spelling: ; also known as Manding Diara, Lion of Mali, Sogolon Djata, son of Sogolon, Nare Maghan and Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba) was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire. He was als ...
, these kingdoms were consolidated, and the Mandinka expanded west from the
Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...
basin under Sundiata's general
Tiramakhan Traore
Tiramakhan Traore (variations : Toure-Makhan Traoré or Tirimakhan Trawally) was a 13th-century general in the Mali Empire who served under Sundiata Keita. In oral histories, Traore is credited with expanding the power of Mali into two very diffe ...
. This expansion was a part of creating a region of conquest, according to the
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
of the Mandinka people. This migration began in the later part of the 13th century.
Another group of Mandinka people, under Faran Kamara – the son of the king of Tabou – expanded southeast of Mali, while a third group expanded with Fakoli Kourouma.
With the migration, many gold artisans and metal working Mandinka smiths settled along the coast and in the hilly
Fouta Djallon
Fouta Djallon (, , ; ) is a Highland (geography), highland region in the center of Guinea, roughly corresponding with Middle Guinea, in West Africa.
Etymology
The Fulani people call the region Fouta Jallon Kingdom, Fuuta-Jaloo ( ) in the Pular l ...
and plateau areas of West Africa. Their presence and products attracted Mandika merchants and brought trading caravans from north Africa and the eastern
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
, states Toby Green – a professor of African History and Culture. It also brought conflicts with other ethnic groups, such as the
Wolof people
The Wolof people () are a Niger-Congo peoples, Niger-Congo ethnic group native to the Senegambia, Senegambia region of West Africa. Senegambia is today split between western Senegal, northwestern the Gambia, Gambia and coastal Mauritania; the Wo ...
, particularly the
Jolof Empire
The Jolof Empire (), also known as Great Jolof or the Wolof Empire, was a Wolof state in modern-day Senegal, that ruled portions of Mauritania and Gambia from the mid-14th centuryFage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland; "The Cambridge History of Africa." Vo ...
.
The caravan trade to North Africa and Middle East brought Islamic people into Mandinka people's original and expanded home region. The Muslim traders sought presence in the host Mandinka community, and this likely initiated proselytizing efforts to convert the Mandinka from their traditional religious beliefs into Islam. In
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
, for example, the Almoravids had divided its capital into two parts by 1077, one part was Muslim and the other non-Muslim. The Muslim influence from North Africa had arrived in the Mandinka region before this, via Islamic trading diasporas.
In 1324,
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa (reigned ) was the ninth '' Mansa'' of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. Musa's reign is often regarded as the zenith of Mali's power and prestige, although he features less in Mandinka oral tradit ...
who ruled
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
, went on
Hajj
Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
pilgrimage to Mecca with a caravan carrying gold.
Shihab al-Umari
Shihab al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari (), commonly known as Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari or Ibn Faḍl Allāh al-‘Umārī (1301 – 1349) was an Arab historian born in Damascus. His major works include ''at-Taʾrīf bi-al-muṣ� ...
, the Arabic historian, described his visit and stated that Musa built mosques in his kingdom, established Islamic prayers and took back Maliki school of Sunni jurists with him. According to Richard Turner – a professor of African American Religious History, Musa was highly influential in attracting North African and Middle Eastern Muslims to West Africa.
The Mandinka people of Mali converted early, but those who migrated to the west did not convert and retained their traditional religious rites. One of the legends among the Mandingo of western Africa is that the general Tiramakhan Traore led the migration, because people in Mali had converted to Islam and he did not want to. Another legend gives a contrasting account, and states that Traore himself had converted and married
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
's granddaughter. The Traore's marriage with a Muhammad's granddaughter, states Toby Green, is fanciful, but these conflicting oral histories suggest that Islam had arrived well before the 13th century and had a complex interaction with the Mandinka people.
Through a series of conflicts, primarily with the
Fula
Fula may refer to:
*Fula people (or Fulani, Fulɓe)
*Fula language (or Pulaar, Fulfulde, Fulani)
**The Fula variety known as the Pulaar language
**The Fula variety known as the Pular language
**The Fula variety known as Maasina Fulfulde
*Fula alpha ...
-led jihads under
Imamate of Futa Jallon
The Imamate of Futa Jallon or Jalon (; or ' , ), sometimes referred to as the Emirate of Timbo, was a West African Islamic state based in the Fouta Djallon highlands of modern Guinea. The state was founded in 1725 by a Fulani jihad and became ...
, many Mandinka converted to Islam. In contemporary West Africa, the Mandinka are predominantly Muslim, with a few regions where significant portions of the population are not Muslim, such as Guinea Bissau, where 35 percent of the Mandinka practice Islam, more than 20 percent are Christian, and 15 percent follow traditional beliefs.
Slavery
Slave raiding, capture and trading in the Mandinka regions may have existed in significant numbers before the European colonial era, as is evidenced in the memoirs of the 14th century Moroccan traveller and Islamic historian
Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn ...
. Slaves were part of the socially stratified Mandinka people, and several Mandinka language words, such as ''Jong'' or ''Jongo'' refer to slaves. There were fourteen Mandinke kingdoms along the
Gambia River
The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra, French language, French: ''Fleuve Gambie'', Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Rio Gâmbia'') is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward ...
in the Senegambia region during the early 19th century, for example, where slaves were a part of the social strata in all these kingdoms.
According to Toby Green, selling slaves along with gold was already a significant part of the trans-Saharan caravan trade across the
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
between West Africa and the Middle East after the 13th century. With the arrival of Portuguese explorers in Africa as they looked for a sea route to India, the European purchase of slaves had begun. The shipment of slaves by the Portuguese, primarily from the Jolof people, along with some Mandinka, started in the 15th century, states Green, but the earliest evidence of a trade involving Mandinka slaves is from and after 1497 CE. In parallel with the start of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the institution of slavery and slave-trading of West Africans into the Mediterranean region and inside Africa continued as a historic normal practice.
Slavery grew significantly between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Portuguese considered slave sources in Guinea and Senegambia parts of Mandinka territory as belonging to them; their 16th to 18th-century slave trade-related documents refer to "our Guinea" and complain about slave traders from other European nations superseding them in the slave trade. Their slave exports from this region nearly doubled in the second half of the 18th century compared to the first, and most of these slaves disembarked in Brazil.
Scholars have offered several theories on the source of the transatlantic slave trade of Mandinka people. According to Boubacar Barry, a professor of History and African Studies, chronic violence between ethnic groups such as the Mandinka people and their neighbours, combined with weapons sold by slave traders and lucrative income from slave ships to the slave sellers, fed the practice of groups raiding for captives, conducting manhunts, and taking slaves. The victimised ethnic group felt justified in retaliating. Slavery was already an accepted practice before the 15th century, when most enslaved people were taken on routes to North Africa and western Asia by Arab traders.
As the demand grew, states Barry, Futa Jallon, led by an Islamic military theocracy, became one of the centers of this slavery-perpetuating violence. Farim of
Kaabu
Kaabu (1537–1867), also written Gabu, Ngabou, and N'Gabu, was a federation of Mandinka kingdoms in the Senegambia region centered within modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau, large parts of today's Gambia, and extending into Koussanar, Kou ...
(the commander of Mandinka people in Kaabu) energetically hunted for slaves on a large scale. Martin Klein (a professor of African Studies) states that Kaabu was one of the early suppliers of African slaves to European merchants.
The historian
Walter Rodney
Walter Anthony Rodney (23 March 1942 – 13 June 1980) was a Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. His notable works include '' How Europe Underdeveloped Africa'', first published in 1972. He was assassinated in Georgetown, ...
states that Mandinka and other ethnic groups already held slaves who had inherited slavery by birth, and who could be sold. The Islamic armies from
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
had long established the practice of slave raids and trade. Fula jihad from Futa Jallon plateau perpetuated and expanded this practice.
These jihads captured the highest number of slaves to sell to Portuguese traders at the ports controlled by Mandinka people. The insecure ethnic groups, states Rodney, stopped working productively and tried to withdraw for security, which made their social and economic conditions more desperate. Though less powerful, such groups also joined the retaliatory cycle of slave raids and violence.
Walter Hawthorne (a professor of African History) states that the Barry and Rodney explanation was not universally true for all of Senegambia and Guinea, where high concentrations of Mandinka people have traditionally lived. Hawthorne says that numerous Mandinka were not exported to the various European colonies in North America, South America and the Caribbean until the period between the mid-18th through to the 19th century. During these years, slave trade records show that nearly 33% of the slaves from
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 ...
and
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...
coasts were Mandinka people. Hawthorne suggests three causes of Mandinka people being taken captive as slaves during this era: small-scale jihads by Muslims against non-Muslim Mandinka, non-religious reasons such as the economic greed of Islamic elites who wanted imports of goods and tools from the coast, and attacks by the Fula people on the Mandinka's
Kaabu
Kaabu (1537–1867), also written Gabu, Ngabou, and N'Gabu, was a federation of Mandinka kingdoms in the Senegambia region centered within modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau, large parts of today's Gambia, and extending into Koussanar, Kou ...
, with consequent cycle of violence.
Wassoulou Empire
Economy
In the 21st century, the Mandinka continue as rural
subsistence farmers
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
who rely on
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...
s,
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
,
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae.
Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
,
maize
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
, and small-scale husbandry for their livelihood. During the
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...
, men plant peanuts as their main cash crop. Men also grow millet. The women grow rice (traditionally,
African rice
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown in West Africa around 3,000 years ago. In agriculture, it has largely been replaced by higher-yielding Asian ric ...
), tending the plants by hand.Schaffer, Matt (2003).'' Djinns, Stars, and Warriors: Mandinka Legends from Pakao, Senegal.'' Leiden: Springer-Brill. p. 6.
This is extremely labour-intensive and physically demanding work. Only about 50% of the rice consumption needs are met by local planting; the rest is imported from Asia and the United States.
The oldest male is the head of the family, and marriages are commonly arranged. Small mud houses with conical thatch or tin roofs make up their villages, which are organised on the basis of
clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
groups. While farming is the predominant profession among the Mandinka, men also work as tailors, butchers, taxi drivers, woodworkers, metalworkers, soldiers, nurses, and extension workers for aid agencies.
Religion
Today, most Mandinka people practice
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 ...
traditional African religions
The beliefs and practices of Demographics of Africa, African people are highly diverse, and include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral tradition, oral rath ...
. Among these syncretists, it is believed that
spirits
Spirit(s) commonly refers to:
* Liquor, a distilled alcoholic drink
* Spirit (animating force), the non-corporeal essence of living things
* Spirit (supernatural entity), an incorporeal or immaterial being
Spirit(s) may also refer to:
Liquids ...
can be controlled mainly through the power of a
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 ...
, who knows the protective formulas. In most cases, the people do not make important decisions without first consulting a marabout. Marabouts, who have Islamic training, write Qur'anic verses on slips of paper and sew them into leather pouches (
talisman
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
); these are worn as protective amulets.
The conversion of the Mandinka to Islam took place over many centuries. According to Robert Wyndham Nicholls, Mandinka 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 ...
started converting to Islam as early as the 17th century, and most of Mandinka leatherworkers there converted to Islam before the 19th century. Mandinka musicians, however, were last, converting to Islam mostly in the first half of the 20th century. As in other locales, these Muslims have continued some of their pre-Islamic religious practices as well, such as their annual rain ceremony and "sacrifice of the black bull" to their past deities.
Society and culture
Most Mandinka live in family-related compounds in traditional rural villages. Mandinka villages are fairly
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...
and self-ruled, being led by a council of upper-class elders and a chief who functions as a first among equals.
Family and political organisation
In Mandinka society the ''lu'' (extended family) is the basic unit, and is led by a ''fa'' (family head) who manages relations with other ''fa''. A ''dugu'' (village) is formed by a collection of ''lu'', and the ''dugu'' is led by the ''fa'' of the most important ''lu'', aided by the ''dugu-tigi'' (
village head
A village head, village headman or village chief is the community leader of a village or a small town.
Usage
Brunei
In Brunei, village head is called or in the Malay language. It is an administrative post which leads the community of a ...
or ''fa'' of the first ''lu'' that settled there). A group of ''dugu-tigi'' form a ''kafu'' (confederation) headed by a ''kafu-tigi''. The Keita clan initially held the status of ''kafu-tigi'' before Sundiata's expansion and the creation of the ''
mansa
''MANSA'' is a scale used to assess quality of life. Its name is short for ''Manchester, Short Assessment of Quality of Life''. It was developed by Priebe et al.
References
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{Latin ...
'' (king/emperor).
Social stratification
The Mandinka people have traditionally been a socially stratified society, as are many West African ethnic groups with
caste
A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
s. The Mandinka society, states Arnold Hughes, a professor of West African Studies and African Politics, has been "divided into three endogamous castes – the freeborn (''foro''), slaves (''jongo''), and artisans and praise singers (''nyamolo''). The freeborn castes are primarily farmers. The enslaved strata included labor providers to the farmers, as well as leather workers, pottery makers, metal smiths,
griot
A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
s, and others.
The Mandinka Muslim clerics and scribes have traditionally been considered a separate occupational caste called ''Jakhanke'', with their Islamic roots traceable to about the 13th century.
The Mandinka castes are hereditary, and marriages outside the caste was forbidden. Their caste system is similar to those of other ethnic groups of the African
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
region. These castes are also common across Mandinka communities such as those in
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 ...
,
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
,
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
, and other countries.
Rites of passage
The Mandinka practice a rite of passage, kuyangwoo, which marks the beginning of adulthood for their children. At an age between four and fourteen, the youngsters have their genitalia ritually mutilated (see articles on
male
Male (Planet symbols, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or Egg cell, ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot sexual repro ...
and
female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...
), in separate groups according to their sex. In years past, the children spent up to a year in the bush, but that has been reduced now to coincide with their physical healing time, between three and four weeks.
During this time, they learn about their adult social responsibilities and rules of behaviour. Preparation is made in the village or compound for the return of the children. A celebration marks the return of these new adults to their families. As a result of these traditional teachings, in marriage a woman's loyalty remains to her parents and her family; a man's to his.
Female genital mutilation
The women among the Mandinka people, like other ethnic groups near them, have traditionally practiced
female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...
(FGM), traditionally referred to as "female circumcision." According to
UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
, the female genital mutilation prevalence rates among the Mandinka of The Gambia is the highest at over 96%, followed by FGM among the women of the
Jola people
The Jola or Diola (endonym: Ajamat) are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Most Jola live in small villages scattered throughout southern Senegal, especially in the Lower Casamance region. The main dialect of the ...
at 91%, and
Fula people
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...
at 88%.Accelerating the Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in The Gambia UNICEF (2012)
Among the Mandinka women of some other countries of West Africa, the FGM prevalence rates are lower, but still range between 40% and 90%. This cultural practice, locally called ''Niaka'' or ''Kuyungo'' or ''Musolula Karoola'' or ''Bondo'', involves the partial or total removal of the clitoris, or alternatively, the partial or total removal of the labia minora with the clitoris.
Some surveys, such as those by the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP), estimate FGM is prevalent among 100% of the Mandinka in
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 ...
. In 2010, after community efforts of UNICEF and the local government bodies, several Mandinka women's organization pledged to abandon the female genital mutilation practices.
Marriage
Marriages are traditionally arranged by family members rather than by either the bride or groom. This practice is particularly prevalent in the rural areas. The suitor's family formally sends Kola nuts, a bitter nut from a tree, to the male elders of the bride-to-be. If they accept the nuts, the courtship may begin.
Polygamy
Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
has been practiced among the Mandinka since pre-Islamic days. A Mandinka man is legally allowed to have up to four wives, as long as he is able to care for each of them equally. Mandinka believe the crowning glory of any woman is the ability to produce children, especially sons. The first wife has authority over any subsequent wives. The husband has complete control over his wives and is responsible for feeding and clothing them. He also helps the wives' parents when necessary. Wives are expected to live together in
harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
, at least superficially. They share work responsibilities of the compound, such as cooking, laundry, and other tasks.
Music
Mandinka culture is rich in tradition, music, and spiritual ritual. The Mandinka continue a long oral history tradition through stories, songs, and proverbs. In rural areas, the influence of western education is minimal; the literacy rate in
Latin script
The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...
among these Mandinka is quite low. But, more than half the adult population can read the local
Arabic script
The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic (Arabic alphabet) and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world (after the Latin script), the second-most widel ...
Qur'an
The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...
ic schools for children where this is taught are quite common. Mandinka children are given their name on the eighth day after their birth. The children are almost always named after a very important person in their family.
The Mandinka have a rich oral history that is passed down through sung versions by
griot
A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
s. This passing down of oral history through music has made the practice of music one of the most distinctive traits of the Mandinka. They have long been known for their drumming and also for their unique musical instrument, the kora. The kora is a twenty-one-stringed West African
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
made from a halved, dried, hollowed-out gourd covered with cow or goat skin. The strings are made of fishing line (these were traditionally made from a cow's tendons). It is played to accompany a griot's singing or simply on its own.
A Mandinka religious and cultural site under consideration for World Heritage status is located in
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
at
Gberedou/Hamana
The Gberedou/ Hamana region of Guinea is located roughly 50 km to the northeast of Kouroussa and 40 km southwest of Kankan. The area has exceptional spiritual significance as it harbors a traditional Mandingo religious milieu. In addit ...
.
The kora
The kora has become the hallmark of traditional Mandinka musicians". The kora with its 21 strings is made from half a calabash, covered with cow's hide fastened on by decorative tacks. The kora has sound holes in the side which are used to store coins offered to the praise singers, in appreciation of their performance. The praise singers are called ''jalibaa'' or ''jalolu'' in Mandinka.
In literature and other media
*Malian author
Massa Makan Diabaté
Massa Makan Diabaté (June 12, 1938 – January 27, 1988) was a Malian historian, author, and playwright.
Biography
Born in 1938 in Kita, Mali, Massa Makan Diabaté was the descendant of a long line of West African poets ( griots). His uncle, K ...
wrote novels that refer to Mandinka legends, including ''Janjon'', which won the 1971
Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire
The Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire (one of the major literary prizes of Black Africa for Francophone Literature) is a literary prize presented every year by the ADELF, the Association of French Language Writers for a French original text ...
Alex Haley
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and ...
published his novel '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family'', tracing his family connections through free and enslaved generations to an 18th-century ancestor taken captive and brought to North America, a Mandinka man known as
Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte ( ) is the main character from the 1976 novel '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family'' by American author Alex Haley. Kunta Kinte was based on family oral tradition accounts of one of Haley's ancestors, a Gambian man who was born ...
. In the course of his research, he traveled to West Africa and heard about his people from a griot. The book was on the New York Times bestseller for many weeks and was also adapted as a popular TV mini-series. Many professional historians and at least one genealogist commented that this familial link was highly improbable (see D. Wright's '' The World And A Very Small Place'').
*
Martin R. Delany
Martin Robison Delany (May 6, 1812January 24, 1885) was an American abolitionist, journalist, physician, military officer and writer who was arguably the first proponent of black nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of "Afri ...
, a 19th-century abolitionist, military leader, politician and physician in the United States, was of partial Mandinka descent.
*
Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
's 1988 hit "Mandinka" was inspired by Alex Haley's book.
*
Mr. T
Laurence T (born Laurence Tureaud; May 21, 1952), known professionally as Mr. T, is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A ...
, of American television fame, once claimed that his distinctive hairstyle was modelled after a Mandinka warrior that he saw in ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
'' magazine. In his motivational video '' Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!'', Mr. T states: "My folks came from Africa. They were from the Mandinka tribe. They wore their hair like this. These gold chains I wear symbolize the fact that my ancestors were brought over here as slaves." In a 2006 interview, he reiterated that he modeled his hair style after photographs of Mandinka men he saw in ''National Geographic''.Mr. T: Pity The Fool interview by Greg Watkins, 09 November 2006
Notable people
Burkina Faso
*
Joffrey Bazié
Joffrey Nino Negawabloua Bazié (born 27 October 2003) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga Portugal 2 club Paços Ferreira.
Club career
Bazié joined French Ligue 1 club Lille in January 2022. He made his o ...
Djibril Ouattara
Cheick Djibril Ouattara (born 19 September 1999) is a Burkinabé professional association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (football), striker for the Burkina Faso national football team, Burkina Faso national team.
Club career
After ...
*
Joseph Ki-Zerbo
Joseph Ki-Zerbo (June 21, 1922 – December 4, 2006, Burkina Faso) was a Burkinabé historian, politician and writer. He is recognized as one of Africa's foremost thinkers.
From 1972 to 1978 he was professor of African History at the University ...
, political leader and historian
*
Bakary Koné
Bakary Koné (, born 27 April 1988) is a Burkinabé former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Club career
Early career
Koné played on youth side for CFTPK Abidjan and joined in 2004 to ÉF Ouagadougou where he began his pr ...
, Burkinabé footballer
*
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo (born May 17, 1975) is a French mixed martial artist and former kickboxer who fights in the Heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator.
...
, Burkinabé mixed martial artist
* General
Sangoulé Lamizana
Aboubakar Sangoulé Lamizana (31 January 1916 – 26 May 2005) was an Upper Voltan military officer who served as the President of Upper Volta (since 1984 renamed Burkina Faso), in power from 3 January 1966, to 25 November 1980. He held the ...
, former president 1966–1980
*
Oumarou Nébié
Oumarou Nébié is a Burkina Faso professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for ASFA Yennenga and the Burkina Faso national football team.
International career
In January 2014, coach Brama Traore, invited him to be ...
*
Gustavo Sangaré
Gustavo Fabrice Sangaré (born 8 November 1996) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Armenian Premier League club Noah and the Burkina Faso national team.
Club career
A youth product of Salitas and Frontignan, ...
* Dr. Lassina Zerbo, scientist and former prime minister
* Colonel
Saye Zerbo
Saye Zerbo (27 August 1932 – 19 September 2013) was a Burkinabé military officer who was the third President of the Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) from 25 November 1980 until 7 November 1982.
He led a coup in 1980, but was resiste ...
, former President 1980–1982
The Gambia
*
Adama Barrow
Adama Barrow (, born 15 February 1965) is a The Gambia, Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of The Gambia since 2017.
Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village in Jimara district, he attended Crab Island Secondary ...
, politician; third
president of The Gambia
The president of the Republic of the Gambia is the head of state and head of government of the Gambia. The president leads the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Gambia, government of the Gambia and is the comma ...
*
Modou Barrow
Modou Secka Barrow (born 13 October 1992) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays for K League 2 club Incheon United and the Gambia national team. He is a winger but can also play as a forward.
He grew up in Sweden where he played for ...
*
Musa Barrow
Musa Barrow (born 14 November 1998) is a Gambian professional association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for Saudi Pro League club Al Taawoun FC, Al-Taawoun and the The Gambia national football team, G ...
Jatto Ceesay
Jatto Ceesay (born 16 November 1974) is a Gambian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Career
Born in Banjul, Ceesay started to play football as a small boy with the Gambian team Wallidan Sens. As a young boy he left to go to ...
, footballer
*
Ousainou Darboe
A.N.M Ousainou Darboe (born 8 August 1948) is a Gambian politician and leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party (The Gambia), United Democratic Party (UDP). He previously served as Vice-President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's ...
, Foreign Minister of The Gambia
*
Sheriff Mustapha Dibba
Sheriff Mustapha Dibba (10 January 1937 – 2 June 2008) was a Gambian politician who was the 1st Vice-President of the Gambia (1970–1972) and also served as the country's National Assembly speaker from 2002 to 2006. He was also leader of ...
, veteran politician and the First vice President of The Gambia
*
Alieu Fadera
Alieu Fadera (born 3 November 2001) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Como.
Club career Pohronie
Fadera's arrival at Slovak Fortuna Liga club FK Pohronie was announced on the club's website on 6 March 2020. ...
Sidia Jatta
Sidia Sana Jatta (born 1945) is a Gambian politician, academic, and writer.
Early life and education
A Mandinka, Jatta was born in Sutukoba, Wuli District. He was educated locally and at Nungua Secondary School, near Accra, Ghana from 1961 to ...
Sona Jobarteh
Sona Jobarteh (born 1983) is a Gambian multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer. She is from one of the five principal kora-playing griot families of West Africa, and is the first female professional kora player to come from a griot family. ...
Modou Jobe
Alagie Modou Jobe (born 27 October 1988) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for National First Division club Black Leopards and the Gambia national team.
Club career
Born in Sanyang, Jobe has played club football fo ...
* Jaliba Kuyateh, kora artist and celebrated musician in the Mandinka language
*
Alasana Manneh
Alasana Manneh (born 8 April 1998) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian and the Gambia national team.
Career Barcelona
Born in Banjul, Manneh joined FC Barcelona's youth setup ...
*
Kekuta Manneh
Kekuta Manneh (born 30 December 1994) is a professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. In 2016, he obtained his American citizenship and has previously been called up to the United States national t ...
*
Yankuba Minteh
Yankuba Minteh (born 22 July 2004) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Gambia national team.
Club career
OB
Minteh started his career at Steve Biko FC in The Gambia. Mint ...
Amadou Sanyang
Amadou Sanyang (born 1 August 1991) is a Gambian footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder.
Club career Professional
Sanyang began his professional career with Real de Banjul of the Gambian Championnat National D1. Sanyang's time wit ...
*
Ebrima Sohna
Ebrima Sohna (born 14 December 1988) is a Gambian footballer. He plays as a midfielder.
Career KuPS
In February 2014, Sohna resigned for KuPS on a one-year contract, extending his deal by another year in October 2014.
Al-Arabi SC
On January 13 ...
Foday Musa Suso
Foday Musa Suso (18 February 1950 – 25 May 2025) was a Gambian musician and composer.
Biography
He was a member of the Mandinka ethnic group and was a griot. Griots are the oral historians and musicians of the Mandingo people who live in se ...
, international musician.
*
Mohamadou Sumareh
Mohamadou Sumareh (born 20 September 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim and the Malaysia national team.
Sumareh began his professional career with Terengganu in January 2 ...
Saikou Touray
Saikou Touray (born 6 June 2000) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Grenobole in the French Ligue 2, and the Gambia national team.
Career
Touray is a youth product of the Gambian club Superstars Academy FC, and ...
Ibrahima Cissé
Ibrahima Cissé (born 28 February 1994) is a professional footballer plays for Emirati club Dibba Al-Hisn. Born in Belgium, Cissé represents the Guinea national football team internationally.
Career Fulham
Fulham tried to sign Cissé from B ...
*
Momo Cissé
Alkhaly Momo Cissé (born 17 October 2002) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a winger.
Career
Cissé joined German club VfB Stuttgart in August 2020. He made his professional debut for the team in the Bundesliga on 19 September ...
*
Seydouba Cissé
Seydouba Cissé (born 10 February 2001) is a Guinean professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Spanish club CD Leganés, Leganés and the Guinea national football team, Guinea national team.
Club career
Born in ...
*
Alpha Condé
Alpha Condé (N'Ko: ; born 4 March 1938) is a Guinean politician who served as the fourth president of Guinea from 2010 to 2021. He spent decades in opposition to a succession of regimes in Guinea, unsuccessfully running against then-President L ...
, former Guinean President
*
Cheick Condé
Cheick Oumar Condé (born 26 July 2000) is a Guinean professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Venezia FC, Venezia and the Guinea national football team, Guinea national team.
Club career Early ye ...
*
Mamady Condé
Mamady Condé is a Guinean politician and diplomat. Condé was first appointed to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department ex ...
, Guinean foreign minister from 2004 to 2007
*
Sékou Condé
Sékou Condé (born 9 June 1993) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a defender for French Championnat National 3 club Châtellerault.
Club career
After playing in the Ukrainian and Israeli football clubs in August 2015, Condé ...
, Guinean footballer
*
Sona Tata Condé
Sona Tata Condé is an internationally recognised Guinean musician. Sona Tata is a member of the Mandinka ethnic group. Sona Tata is widely popular in Guinea, especially in the capital Conakry. Sona Tata Condé recorded her afro-pop album ''Simb ...
, Guinean musician
*
Vincent Coulibaly
Vincent Coulibaly is Guinean prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the archbishop of Conakry in Guinea since 2003. From 1994 to 2003 he was bishop of Kankan.
Biography
Vincent Coulibaly was born on 16 March 1953 in Kiniéran, French Gui ...
, Guinean archbishop of Conakry
*
Amadou Diawara
Amadou Diawara (born 17 July 1997) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Spanish Segunda División club Eldense and the Guinea national team.
Club career Early career
Amadou Diawara was born in Conakry, Guinea.
Di ...
*
Djeli Moussa Diawara
Djeli Moussa Diawara (born February 1962) is a kora player ( Korafola), composer and singer.
Biography
Djeli Moussa Diawara (also spelled as ''Jali Musa Jawara'') was born to a Griot family in Kankan, Guinea. His father was a balafon player, ...
, Guinean musician (also known as Jali Musa Jawara - 32-stringed Kora player)
*
Kaba Diawara
Kaba Diawara (born 16 December 1975) is a football manager and former player who played as a striker.
Diawara played for French teams Sporting Toulon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Marseille, Nice, Paris Saint-Germain and Arles-Avignon, for English clubs ...
, Guinean footballer
*
Mamady Doumbouya
Mamady Doumbouya (N'Ko: , born 5 December 1980) is a Guinean military officer serving as the current president of Guinea since 5 September 2021. Doumbouya led a coup d'état on 5 September 2021 that overthrew the previous president, Alpha Cond ...
, Guinean military officer
*
Daouda Jabi
Daouda Jabi (born 10 April 1981) is a Guinean former professional footballer who played as a defender.
He began his senior career with Pacy Vallée-d'Eure and USL Dunkerque before moving to RC Lens where he played for the club's reserves and t ...
Sory Kaba
Sory Kaba (born 28 July 1995) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Elche CF, on loan from UD Las Palmas, and the Guinea national team.
Club career
Born in Conakry, Kaba moved to Spain at early age and joined ...
Mory Kanté
Mory Kanté (29 March 195022 May 2020) was a Guinean vocalist and player of the kora harp. He was best known internationally for his 1987 hit song " Yé ké yé ké", which reached number-one in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain. The ...
, Guinean kora musician
*
Alhassane Keita
Alhassane Keita Otchico (born 26 June 1983), known as Keita, is a Guinean footballer who most recently played as a striker for American club Jacksonville Armada FC.
Club career
Keita was born in Conakry. After beginning his professional career ...
, Guinean footballer
*
Mamady Keïta
Mamady Keïta (August 1950 – 21 June 2021) was a drummer from the West African nation of Guinea. He specialized in the ''djembe''. He was also the founder of the ''Tam Tam Mandingue'' school of drumming. He was a member of the Mandinka people ...
, Guinean musician
* Naby Keita, Guinean footballer
*
Famoudou Konaté
Famoudou Konaté is a Malinké master drummer from Guinea. Famoudou Konaté is a virtuoso of the djembe drum and its orchestra. One of only a handful of initiated masters of the Malinké drumming tradition, Famoudou is universally respected as ...
, Guinean musician
*
Mory Konaté
Mory Konaté (born 15 November 1993) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian club Mechelen and the Guinea national team.
Club career
Konaté began playing football late, and moved to Germany as student after ...
Lansana Kouyaté
Lansana Kouyaté (born 15 July 1950) is a Guinean politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Guinea from 2007 to 2008. Previously he was Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 1997 to 2002 ...
, former prime minister of Guinea
*
N'Faly Kouyate
N'Faly Kouyate is a Guinean musician. He is a member of the Mandinka ethnic group of West Africa. His father was the griot Konkoba Kabinet Kouyate, who lived in Siguiri, Guinea.
In 1994 Kouyate moved to Belgium and formed the ensemble Dunya ...
, Guinean musician
*
Fodé Mansaré
Fodé Mansaré (born 3 September 1981) is a Guinean former professional footballer who played as a winger. Between 2001 and 2011 made over 100 appearances each for both Montpellier HSC and Toulouse FC. In 2013, after being without a club for t ...
, Guinean footballer
* Petit Sory, Guinean footballer
*
Morlaye Sylla
Morlaye Sylla (born 27 July 1998) is a Guinean international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Arouca and the Guinea national team.
International career
Sylla made his debut with the Guinea national team in a 1–0 2020 African Nations ...
*
Sekou Touré
Sekou, also spelled Sékou or Seku, is a given name from the Fula language. It is equivalent to the Arabic ''Sheikh''. People with this name include:
People
* Sekou (singer), British singer
Given name
* Seku Amadu (1776–1845), also known as S� ...
, President of Guinea from 1958 to 1984; grandson of Samory Touré
*
Diarra Traoré
Diarra Traoré (1935 – 8 July 1985) was a Guinean soldier and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Guinea briefly in 1984 as a member of a junta led by Lansana Conté. In 1985, after Traoré attempted a coup d'état against President C ...
, former prime minister of Guinea
*
Samori Ture
Samori Ture ( – June 2, 1900), also known as Samori Toure, Samory Touré, or Almamy Samore Lafiya Toure, was a Mandinka people, Malinke and a Soninke people, Soninke Muslim cleric, military strategist, and founder of the Wassoulou Empire, an Is ...
, founder of the Wassoulou Empire, an Islamic military state that resisted French rule in West Africa
* Mohamed Yattara
Yalany Baio
Yalany Cuino Baio (born 10 October 1994) is a Bissau-Guinean Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder for Welsh club Llandudno F.C., Llandudno.
Football career
After playing for the youth team ...
Romário Baró
Romário Manuel Silva Baró (born 25 January 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swiss Super League club Basel, on loan from Porto. Born in Guinea-Bissau, Baró represented Portugal internationally at youth level.
C ...
*
Mimito Biai
Atair Mimito Rocha Biai (born 12 December 1997), known as Mimito Biai, is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, most recently for Pyunik, and the Guinea-Bissau national team.
Club career
On 11 September 2016, Bia ...
, Bissau-Guinean footballer
*
Sana Canté
Sana Canté is a Guinean jurist and activist. He chaired the Vigilant Non-Compliant Citizen's Movement over the years of the political and parliamentary crisis and was one of the most critical voices to the presidency of José Mário Vaz
Jos� ...
, Bissau-Guinean activist
*
Rui Dabó
Rui Suleimane Camara Dabó (born 5 October 1994) is a footballer who plays for Oliveirense as a goalkeeper. Born in Portugal, he represents Guinea-Bissau at international level.
Career
Born in Setúbal, Dabó has played club football for Cald ...
, Bissau-Guinean footballer
*
Tomás Dabó
Tomás Soares Dabó (born 20 October 1993) is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays as a right back.
Club career
Born in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Dabó finished his formation with S.C. Braga. He made his professional debut with the ...
, Bissau-Guinean footballer
*
João Jaquité
João Lamine Jaquité (born 22 February 1996) is a Bissau-Guinean professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Club career Tondela
Born in Bissau, Jaquité started playing organised football in Portugal, with amateurs ...
Madi Queta
Madi Queta (born 21 October 1998) is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays as a winger for Azerbaijan Premier League club Sabail and the Guinea-Bissau national team.
Club career
On 19 August 2017, Queta made his professional debu ...
, Bissau-Guinean footballer
*
Neemias Queta
Neemias Esdras Barbosa Queta (; born 13 July 1999) is a Portuguese professional basketball player of Bissau-Guinean descent for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He started playing basketball in 2009 for Barreiren ...
, Bissau-Guinean basketball player
* Alfa Semedo
*
Panutche Camará
Panutche Amadu Pereira Camará (born 28 February 1997) is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and forward for club Crawley Town and the Guinea-Bissau national team.
Club career Early career
After playing youth ...
, Bissau-Guinean footballer
Ivory Coast
*
Sidiki Bakaba
Sidiki Bakaba (born in Abengourou, 1949) is an actor, scenario writer and director from Côte d'Ivoire.
He lives and works in Abidjan. After studying at the National School of Drama of Abidjan, he conducted training at the Living Theatre and w ...
, Ivorian actor and filmmaker
*
Jonathan Bamba
Jonathan Fousseni Bamba (born 26 March 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.
Club career Sa ...
, footballer
*
Alpha Blondy
Seydou Koné (; born January 1, 1953, in Dimbokro), better known by his stage name Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian reggae singer and international recording artist. Many of his songs are politically and socially motivated, and are mainly sung i ...
, Ivorian (reggae) musician
* Ibrahim Cissé, Ivorian footballer
*
Sekou Cissé
Sekou Cissé (born 23 May 1985) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Club career
Cissé began his career in his home country, where he played for JMG Academy Abidjan, but moved to the Netherlands in February 20 ...
, Ivorian footballer
*
Fousseny Coulibaly
Fousseny Coulibaly (born 12 December 1992) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Club career
Coulibaly has played for Stella Club, Union Monastirienne, Espérance de Tunis and Stade Tunisien.
International career
Co ...
, footballer
*
Kafoumba Coulibaly
Kafoumba Coulibaly (born 26 October 1985) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
Coulibaly began his career at the famous Ivorian club ASEC Abidjan, in their youth academy run by former Fr ...
, footballer
*
Souleymane Coulibaly
Souleymane Coulibaly (born 26 December 1994) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker for English non-league club Pickering Town.
Early life
As a 13-year-old, Coulibaly emigrated to Italy to avoid conflict in Ivory Coast. ...
*
Siriki Dembélé
Ben Siriki Dembélé (born 7 September 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger or striker for club Oxford United.
Dembélé is known for his speed, taking on players with his dribbling ability, and holding the ball bring ...
, Ivorian footballer
*
Henriette Diabaté
Henriette Dagri Diabaté (born March 13, 1935) is an Ivorian politician and writer. A member of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR), Diabaté was Minister of Culture in Côte d'Ivoire from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2000; later, she was Minister o ...
, former Ivorian politician
*
Oumar Diakité
Oumar Diakité (born 20 December 2003) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forward for club Reims and the Ivory Coast national team.
Club career
Diakité joined Red Bull Salzburg from ASEC Mimosas on 12 January 2022 and quickly sent on lo ...
Cheick Doukouré
Cheick Yves Doukouré (born 11 September 1992) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.
Early life
Born in Cocody, Ivory Coast, Doukouré moved to France at early age. He acquired French nationality on 13 ...
Tiken Jah Fakoly
Doumbia Moussa Fakoly (born June 23, 1968 in Odienné), better known by his stage name Tiken Jah Fakoly (), is an Ivorian reggae singer and songwriter.
Early life
Doumbia Moussa Fakoly was born on 23 June 1968 in Odienné, Kabadougou Region, ...
, Ivorian (reggae) musician
*
Moryké Fofana
Moryké Fofana (born 23 November 1991) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for TFF First League club Manisa.
Career
Fofana started his career at École de Football Yéo Martial. Ahead of the 2012 season, he signed f ...
*
Hassane Kamara
Hassane Kamara (born 5 March 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back or left wing-back for Serie A club Udinese. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.
Club career Châteauroux
Kamara is a youth exponent ...
, Ivorian Footballer
*
Abdul Kader Keïta
Abdul Kader Keïta (born 6 August 1981) is an Ivorian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. He represented the Ivory Coast national football team from 2000 to 2012.
Club career
Keïta, ...
, Ivorian footballer
*
Fadel Keïta
Amidou Fadel Keïta (born 5 July 1977) is an Ivorian former footballer who played as a striker.
Club career
Keïta was born in Gagnoa, Ivory Coast. He began his career at Africa Sports, where he was twice the best goal scorer of the Ivory Coa ...
Arouna Koné
Arouna Koné (born 11 November 1983) is an Ivorian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker.
After making a name for himself in the Eredivisie, with Roda JC and PSV Ein ...
, Ivorian footballer
*
Bakari Koné
Bakari Koné (born 17 September 1981) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a winger.
Club career
Early career
Koné was born in Abidjan. Like many other Ivorian stars, he began his career at the famed youth academy at A ...
Ahmadou Kourouma
Ahmadou Kourouma (24 November 1927 – 11 December 2003) was an Ivorian novelist.
Life
The eldest son of a distinguished Malinké family, Ahmadou Kourouma was born in 1927 in Boundiali, Côte d'Ivoire. Raised by his uncle, he initially pursued ...
, Ivorian writer
*
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician and economist who has been List of heads of state of Ivory Coast, President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, he worked for the I ...
, Côte d'Ivoire president ; Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire, 1990 – 1993
*
Badra Ali Sangaré
Badra Ali Sangaré (born 30 May 1986) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for South African Premier Division club Sekhukhune United and the Ivory Coast national team.
Club career
Born in Bingerville, Sangaré began ...
Alpha Sissoko
Alpha Nelson Sissoko (born 7 March 1997) is a French professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Guingamp.
Club career
Sissoko made his professional debut for Clermont in a Ligue 2 2–0 win over Châteauroux
Châteauroux ( ...
*
Guillaume Soro
Guillaume Kigbafori Soro (born 8 May 1972) is an Ivorian politician who was the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from April 2007 to March 2012. Prior to his service as Prime Minister, Soro led the Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire, and later ...
, Ivorian politician
*
Kolo Touré
Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He most recently managed then-Championship club Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic.
Beginning his career as a ...
, Ivorian footballer
*
Sékou Touré
Sekou, also spelled Sékou or Seku, is a given name from the Fula language. It is equivalent to the Arabic ''Sheikh''. People with this name include:
People
* Sekou (singer), British singer
Given name
* Seku Amadu (1776–1845), also known as S� ...
Ivorian politician, environmental engineer, former UN Executive
*
Yaya Touré
Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabia national team.
Touré aspired to be a striker during h ...
, Ivorian footballer
*
Abdou Razack Traoré
Abdou Razack Traoré (born 28 December 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Born in Ivory Coast, he represented Burkina Faso at international level.
Club career Rosenborg
Traoré was born in Abi ...
Lacina Traoré
Lacina Emeghara Traoré (born 20 May 1990) is an Ivorian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is nicknamed “The Big Tree”, due to his 1.98m frame, which puts him am ...
*
Marco Zoro
Marc-André "Marco" Zoro Kpolo (born 27 December 1983) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
Club career
Born in Anyama, Zoro started his career in Italy, first with U.S. Salernitana 1919, without howeve ...
, footballer
Liberia
*
Prince Balde
Prince Balde (born 23 March 1998) is a Liberian professional footballer who plays as a center-back for Swedish club FC Rosengård and the Liberia national team.
Club career Drita
On 1 July 2021, Balde signed a two-year contract with Kosovan cl ...
*
Momolu Dukuly
Momolu Dukuly (1903 – 1980) was a politician in Liberia. He was the second foreign minister under William V.S. Tubman (Dukuly replaced Gabriel Lafayette Dennis, who died in office in 1954). Dukuly was the first "Native" Liberian to be appointe ...
Alex Nimely
Alex Tchuimeni-Nimely (born 11 May 1991) is a Liberian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the elder brother of Liberia international Sylvanus Nimely.
A former England under-20 international, he accepted a call-up to ...
Ansu Toure
Ansu Toure (born 18 March 1981) is a Liberian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He represented the Liberia national team internationally.
Career
Youth and amateur
Toure played five years of youth football with Genesis Foo ...
Mali
*
Zoumana Camara
Zoumana Camara (born 3 April 1979) is a French professional football manager and former player who works as the manager of club Montpellier.
After starting out at Saint-Étienne as a centre-back, he went on to amass Ligue 1 totals of 344 matche ...
Bako Dagnon
Bako Dagnon (1948 or 1953 – 7 July 2015) was a Malian griot singer. She is considered to be a popular representative of Mandinka culture and has released several records in local languages.
Early life
Bako Dagnon was born in the little villag ...
, Malian female
griot
A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
singer
*
Souleymane Dembélé
Souleymane Dembélé (born 3 September 1984) is a Malian football player, currently playing for Stade Malien.
International
He was part of the Mali U-23 team who finish third in group stage of 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Dembélé wa ...
Massa Makan Diabaté
Massa Makan Diabaté (June 12, 1938 – January 27, 1988) was a Malian historian, author, and playwright.
Biography
Born in 1938 in Kita, Mali, Massa Makan Diabaté was the descendant of a long line of West African poets ( griots). His uncle, K ...
, Malian historian, writer and playwright
*
Mamadou Diabate
Mamadou is a common given name in West Africa among predominantly Muslim ethnic groups such as the Mandé and Wolof people. It is a variant of the Arabic name Muhammad. In Francophone countries, the name is sometimes uses as a slur towards people ...
, Malian musician
*
Toumani Diabaté
Toumani Diabaté ( ; 10 August 1965 – 19 July 2024) was a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he was involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styl ...
Yoro Diakité
Yoro Diakité (17 October 1932 – 13 June 1973) was a Malian politician and military figure. Diakite was the Prime Minister of Mali and Head of the Provisional Government from 19 November 1968 to 18 September 1969, and then Vice President
A v ...
, former Malian prime minister
*
Aboubacar Diarra
Aboubacar Diarra (born 22 May 1993) is a Malian Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder, most recently for AS Vita Club in DR Congo.
Career statistics International
Honours Club
;Stade M ...
*
Mahamadou Diarra
Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He served as captain for the Mali national team.
Club career OFI Crete
Diarra started his professional career at Greek club ...
*
Fatoumata Diawara
Fatoumata Diawara (, born 21 February 1982) is a Malian singer-songwriter currently living in France.
Diawara began her career as an actress in theatre and in film, including ''Genesis'' (1999), '' Sia, The Dream of the Python'' (2001) and ''T ...
, Malian musician
*
Fousseni Diawara
Fousseni Diawara (born 28 August 1980) is a professional football manager and former player who played as a right-back. Born in France, he played for the Mali national team between 2001 and 2015.
Club career
Starting his career in Parisien clu ...
, Malian footballer
* Daba Diawara, Malian politician
*
Moussa Djenepo
Moussa Djenepo (born 15 June 1998) is a Malian professional footballer who plays as a winger or left-back for Süper Lig club Antalyaspor, on loan from Belgian Pro League club Standard Liège, and the Mali national team.
Club career Early car ...
*
Diaranké Fofana
Diaranké Fofana (born 14 July 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defender.
Career
Fofana began his early career with the reserves of Creteil, and had a brief stint in Romania before returning to amateur league in Fran ...
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (; 29 January 1945 – 16 January 2022), often known by his initials IBK, was a Malian politician who served as the president of Mali from September 2013 to August 2020, when he was forced to resign in the 2020 Malian cou ...
, President of Mali, September 2013 - August 2020
*
Habib Keïta
Habib Ali Keïta (born 5 February 2002) is a Malian professional football player who plays as a midfielder for club Clermont.
Career
Habib Keïta joined Lyon Academy in October 2020, arriving from Mali, where he was in the same youth system ...
*
Modibo Keïta
Modibo Keïta (4 June 1915 – 16 May 1977) was a Malian politician who served as the first President of Mali from 1960 to 1968. He espoused a form of African socialism. He was deposed in a coup d'état in 1968 by Moussa Traoré.
Born and ra ...
, President of Mali from 1960 to 1968
*
Salif Keita
Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali.
Early life
Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village of Djolib ...
, Malian musician
*
Seydou Keita
Seydou Keïta (; anglicised to Keita; born 16 January 1980) is a Malian former professional footballer. A versatile midfielder, he operated as both a central or defensive midfielder. He is both the record appearance holder and scorer of the Ma ...
, Malian footballer
*
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita ( Mandinka, Malinke: ; 1217 – c. 1255, N'Ko spelling: ; also known as Manding Diara, Lion of Mali, Sogolon Djata, son of Sogolon, Nare Maghan and Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba) was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire. He was als ...
, founder of the Mali Empire
*
Tiécoro Keita
Tiécoro Keita (born 13 April 1994) is a Malian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for French club Le Mans FC, Le Mans. He is a former Mali international.
Club career
Keita started his career at En Avant Gui ...
Ibrahima Konaté
Ibrahima Konaté (born 25 May 1999) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Liverpool F.C., Liverpool and the France national football team, France national team.
Starting off with FC Socha ...
Sidy Koné
Sidy Koné (born 6 June 1992), also known as Sidi Koné, is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
Born in Bamako, Koné joined Lyon in 2010 after playing for Jeanne d'Arc Bamako in his home ...
Moussa Kouyate
Moussa Kouyate (born 1956) is a kora player from Bamako, Mali. His father, Batourou Sekou Kouyate, was also a prominent kora player.
Biography
In 2003, Moussa Kouyaté came to Finland to record his album ''Finlandiafrica'', which was produced by ...
, Malian musician
*
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa (reigned ) was the ninth '' Mansa'' of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. Musa's reign is often regarded as the zenith of Mali's power and prestige, although he features less in Mandinka oral tradit ...
, (c. 1280 – c. 1337), the ninth, especially renowned, Mansa (emperor) of the
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire (Manding languages, Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or ''Manden ...
*
Hadi Sacko
Hadi Sacko (born 24 March 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Turkish club Sakaryaspor. Born in France, he plays for the Mali national team, having made his debut in 2018. He is a former French youth international.
C ...
*
Oumou Sangaré
Oumou Sangaré (; born 25 February 1968) is a Malian Wassoulou singer of Fulani ( Fula) descent. She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou". Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from ...
Mamady Sidibé
Mamady Sidibé (born 18 December 1979) is a Malian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward.
Sidibé moved from his native Mali to France when he was two years old. After playi ...
, Malian footballer
*
Modibo Sidibé
Modibo Sidibé (born 7 November 1952) is a Malian politician who was Prime Minister of Mali from September 2007 to April 2011.Baba Sissoko
Baba Sissoko (born 8 March 1963) is a Malian percussionist.
Career
Born and raised in Bamako, Mali,Di Fazio, Di Maurizio (2015)Baba Sissoko: "La paura è una malattia. Quando cominci ad averla sei già spacciato", ''L'Espresso'', 21 November 201 ...
, Malian musician
*
Mohamed Sissoko
Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (born 22 January 1985) is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in France, he represented France at youth international level before playing for the Mali national team.
Club career Au ...
, Malian footballer
*
Adama Soumaoro
Bakary Adama Soumaoro (born 18 June 1992) is a French professional footballer who last played as a centre-back for Serie A club Bologna.
Career
On 31 January 2020, Soumaoro joined Serie A club Genoa on loan with an option-to-buy. On 10 January ...
*
Almamy Touré
Almamy Touré (born 28 April 1996) is a Malian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for 1. Rangers F.C. and the Mali national team.
Club career Monaco
Touré is a youth exponent from AS Monaco. He made his league debut on 20 Feb ...
*
Amadou Toumani Touré
Amadou Toumani Touré (4 November 19489 November 2020), also popularly known in Mali by his initials ATT (), was a Malian politician. He supervised Mali's first multiparty elections as chairman of the transitional government (1991–1992), and la ...
, President of Mali from 2002 to 2012
*
Birama Touré
Birama Touré (born 6 June 1992) is a Malian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Montpellier.
Club career
Touré's career started in 2010 with his youth club Beauvais, he participated in 18 matches during 2010� ...
Djimi Traoré
Djimi Traoré (born 1 March 1980) is a former professional footballer who works as a coach for the Right to Dream Academy. He played as a left-back or centre-back. Born in France, Traoré played for Mali, and at club level, he played for Laval ...
Kalilou Traoré
Kalilou Mohamed Traoré (born 9 September 1987) is a Malian former professional Association football, footballer who played as midfielder.
Club career
Traoré began his career with AS Real Bamako in 2005. He signed a contract with Wydad Casabl ...
Sidiki Diabaté
Sidiki Diabaté is a Malian kora player, singer, and music producer born in 1992 in Bamako. He is the son of kora player Toumani Diabaté and grandson of his namesake, Sidiki Diabaté. Diabaté belongs to the 77th generation of musicians in a ...
Keita Baldé
Keita Baldé Diao (born 8 March 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for club Monza. Born in Spain, he plays for the Senegal national team.
Club career Early career
Born in Arbúcies, Girona, Catalonia, to Sen ...
Lamine Camara
Mamadou Lamine Camara (born 1 January 2004) is a Senegalese professional association football, footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder, midfielder for Ligue 1 club AS Monaco, Monaco and the Senegal national football team, Senegal nationa ...
Souleymane Camara
Souleymane Camara (born 22 December 1982) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is a former Senegal international and has represented his nation at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and three Africa Cup of Nations tour ...
*
Pathé Ciss
Pathé Ismaël Ciss (born 16 March 1994) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a central or defensive midfielder for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and the Senegal national team.
Club career
Ciss was born in Dakar, and joined the D ...
*
Aliou Cissé
Aliou Cissé (born 24 March 1976) is a Senegalese professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Libya national team. Cissé is best known for captaining the Senegal team which reached the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations ...
Papiss Cissé
Papiss Demba Cissé (; born 3 June 1985) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for UAE Third Division League side Al Qabila.
Formerly of SC Freiburg, he once held the record of most goals scored by an African player ...
, Senegalese footballer
*
Aly Cissokho
Aly Cissokho (, born 15 September 1987) is a French professional association football, footballer who plays for Thai League 1 club Muangthong United F.C., Muangthong United. He plays as a left-back and has been described as a "sprightly left-bac ...
Abdou Diakhaté
Abdou Lahad Diakhaté (born 31 December 1998) is a Senegalese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie D club Gelbison Cilento Vallo della Lucania, Gelbison.
Club career
Diakhaté began his career ...
*
Pape Diakhaté
Pape Malickou Diakhaté (born 21 June 1984) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
Club career
Diakhaté was born in Dakar, Senegal. Having come through the Nancy youth ranks, he made his Ligue 2 debut ...
*
Lamine Diatta
Lamine Diatta (born 2 July 1975) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defender. He works as team coordinator of Senegal, appointed by head coach Aliou Cissé in 2015.
During his 14-year professional career, Diatta pl ...
*
Krépin Diatta
Krépin Diatta (born 25 February 1999) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the Senegal national team.
Club career Sarpsborg 08
On 26 February 2017, Diatta signed a four-year contract ...
Baba Diawara
Papa Babacar "Baba" Diawara (born 5 January 1988) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Club career Marítimo
Born in Dakar, Diawara started his career with Senegal Premier League club ASC Jeanne d'Arc, moving to Europ ...
Lamine Gassama
Lamine Gassama (born 20 October 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who most recently played as a right back for Swiss club Lausanne-Ouchy and the Senegal national team.
Career Early career
Gassama grew up in the neighbourhood of L ...
Seckou Keita
Seckou Keita (born 14 February 1978) is a Kora (instrument), kora player and drummer from Senegal. He is one of the few champions of the lesser-known kora repertoire from Casamance in southern Senegal.
Musical career
Keita was born in Ziguinc ...
, Senegalese musician
*
Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly (born 20 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal and captains the Senegal national team.
Koulibaly began his professional club career with French team Metz in 20 ...
*
Moussa Konaté Moussa Konaté may refer to:
* Moussa Konaté (writer), a Malian writer
* Moussa Konaté (kickboxer), a French Muay Thai kickboxer
* Moussa Konaté (footballer), a Senegalese footballer
{{disambiguation ...
, Senegalese footballer
*
Cheikhou Kouyaté
Cheikhou Kouyaté (born 21 December 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for the Senegal national team. He most recently played for Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
Kouyaté move ...
Opa Nguette
Opa Nguette (born 8 July 1994) is a professional footballer who plays for KTFF Süper Lig club Mağusa Türk Gücü and the Senegal national team. He plays as an attacking midfielder and striker. Nguette was a France youth international, hav ...
, Senegalese footballer
*
Amadou Onana
Amadou Ba Zeund Georges Mvom Onana (born 16 August 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Aston Villa and the Belgium national team. He is known for his aerial abilities as well as his defensive abiliti ...
*
Abdoulaye Sané
Abdoulaye Sané (born 15 October 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Hong Kong Premier League club Kowloon City.
Club career
Sané began his career with AS Douanes in the Senegal Premier League. ...
*
Lamine Sané
Ludovic Lamine Sané (born 22 March 1987) is a former footballer. He played primarily a centre-back but has also been used as holding midfielder. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level.
Football career Early career
Sané ...
Tony Sylva
Tony Mario Sylva (born 17 May 1975) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He spent the vast majority of his 16-year professional career in France, playing in 157 Ligue 1 games during eight seasons and repre ...
*
Amara Traoré
Amara Traoré (born 25 September 1965) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who is the head coach of Horoya AC in the Guinée Championnat National.
He managed the Senegal national team and ASC Linguère in Senegal.
Playing career
T ...
Zargo Touré
Zargo Touré (born 11 November 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish club Çorum.
Club career
Touré was born in Pikine, Senegal. He began his career at homeland club Sporting Dakar in the Senegal ...
Ibrahim Jaffa Condeh
Ibrahim Jaffa Condeh (born in Kabala, Sierra Leone) is a Sierra Leonean journalist and news anchor. He is the senior journalist for the Freetown based Concord Times newspaper. Although Condeh is primarily based in Freetown, he often report on loca ...
, Sierra Leonean journalist and news anchor
*
Kanji Daramy Kanji Daramy was a Sierra Leonean technocrat and was the first managing director of the Sierra Leone Post Office and subsequently the Presidential spokesman for former Sierra Leone's president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah during his second term as president ...
, journalist and spokesman for former Sierra Leone's president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. He is also the former chairman of Sierra Leone National Telecommunications Commission
*
Mabinty Daramy
Mabinty Daramy () is a Sierra Leonean politician. She was a deputy minister in President Ernest Bai Koroma's cabinet during both his terms and is currently the Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea.
According to Daramy, she was "a Senior Accountant ...
, current Sierra Leone's deputy minister of trade and industry
* Mohamed B. Daramy, former minister of development and economic planning from 2002 to 2007, former ECOWAS commissioner of income tax
* Kemoh Fadika, current Sierra Leone's high commissioner to the Gambia and former high commissioner to Nigeria, former ambassador to Egypt and Iran.
* Lansana Fadika, Sierra Leonean businessman and former SLPP chairman for the Western Area. He is the younger brother of Kemoh Fadika
*
Saidu Fofanah
Saidu Sahid Fofanah (born 14 September 1997) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Kazakhstan Premier League club Zhetysu and the Sierra Leone national team.
International career
Sesay made his internati ...
* Bomba Jawara, former MP of Sierra Leone from Koinadugu District (SLPP)
*
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (16 February 1932 – 13 March 2014) was a Sierra Leonean politician who served twice as the 3rd President of Sierra Leone, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Kab ...
, President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 2007
*
Haja Afsatu Kabba
Haja Afsatu Olayinka Ebishola Savage Kabba is a Sierra Leonean Oku politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent th ...
, former Sierra Leone's Minister of Marine Resources and Fisheries; Energy and Power; Lands
*
Karamoh Kabba
Karamoh Kabba (born 1965 in Koidu Town, Kono District, Sierra Leone) is a Sierra Leonean author, writer, novelist and journalist. He has written several accounts about the Sierra Leone civil war, such as ''A Mother’s Saga: An Account of the Reb ...
, Sierra Leonean author, writer and journalist
* Mohamed Kakay, former MP of Sierra Leone from Koinadugu District (SLPP)
* Alhaji Kamara
*
Glen Kamara
Glen Adjei Kamara (born 28 October 1995) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, on loan from Ligue 1 club Rennes, and the Finland national team.
He began his senior career at Arsena ...
Saidu Bah Kamara
Saidu Bah Kamara (born 3 March 2002) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for the Sierra Leone National Premier League
Sierra Leone National Premier League is a professional football league in Sierr ...
* Kadijatu Kebbay, Sierra Leonean model; Miss University Sierra Leone 2006 winner and representative of Sierra Leone at the Miss World 2006 contest
*
Brima Dawson Kuyateh
Brima Dawson Kuyateh is a Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area ...
, journalist and the current president of the Sierra Leone Reporters Union
* Sidique Mansaray, Sierra Leonean footballer
* Tejan Amadu Mansaray, former MP of Sierra Leone representing Koinadugu District (APC)
* Shekuba Saccoh, former Sierra Leone's ambassador to Guinea and former Minister of Social Welfare
* K-Man (born Mohamed Saccoh), Sierra Leonean musician
* Alhaji A. B. Sheriff, former MP from Koinadugu District (SLPP)
*
Sheka Tarawalie
Sheka Tarawalie is a Sierra Leonean journalist, writer and author who, until March 2016, was Sierra Leone's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, a position he got in January 2013 in the new cabinet of President Ernest Bai Koroma's second term. He ...
, Sierra Leonean journalist and former State House Press Secretary to president Koroma. Former Deputy Minister of Information and current Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.
*
Mohamed Buya Turay
Mohamed Buya Turay (, ; born 10 January 1995) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Club career Early career
Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Turay began playing football on the streets, which led him to be scouted ...
*
Sitta Umaru Turay
Sitta Umaru Turay (born December 24, 1978, in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is a Sierra Leonean journalist and current member of the editorial Board of the Freetown-based Sierra Express newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical ...
Assimiou Touré
Assimiou Touré (born 1 January 1988) is a Togolese former footballer who played as a defender. He also holds a German passport.
Career
Born in Sokodé, Togo, Touré joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2000 and became a member of their Bundesliga squad ...
United States
*
Aboubacar Keita
Aboubacar Kobele Keita (born April 6, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Kalmar FF.
Keita was born in New York City but grew up in Ohio, playing for the Crew Academy. After just one year in college ...
*
Mo Bamba
Mohamed Fakaba Bamba (born May 12, 1998) is an Ivorian-American professional basketball player who last played for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. He w ...
, professional basketball player
*
Martin Delany
Martin Robison Delany (May 6, 1812January 24, 1885) was an American abolitionist, journalist, physician, military officer and writer who was arguably the first proponent of black nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of "Af ...
, abolitionist, journalist, physician and writer (had two Mandinka grandparents brought to America as slaves)
*
Alex Haley
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and ...
Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte ( ) is the main character from the 1976 novel '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family'' by American author Alex Haley. Kunta Kinte was based on family oral tradition accounts of one of Haley's ancestors, a Gambian man who was born ...
, documented captured Mandinka warrior during the last years of the Atlantic slave trade. He is Alex Haley's ancestor and the key character in Haley's book ''Roots'', and is also portrayed in the record-breaking TV miniseries ''
Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...
''.
*
Gabourey Sidibe
Gabourey Sidibe ( ; born May 6, 1983) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the 2009 film '' Precious'', a role that earned her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, in addition to nominations for the Golden Globe ...
, actress
*
Foday Musa Suso
Foday Musa Suso (18 February 1950 – 25 May 2025) was a Gambian musician and composer.
Biography
He was a member of the Mandinka ethnic group and was a griot. Griots are the oral historians and musicians of the Mandingo people who live in se ...
, griot musician and composer
*
Sheck Wes
Khadimou Rassoul Cheikh Fall (born September 10, 1998), known professionally as Sheck Wes, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2018 song "Mo Bamba (song), Mo Bamba", which went viral online before peaking at number six on the Billboa ...
, rapper and professional basketball player.
See also
*
Djembe
A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa.
According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...
*
Gravikord
The Gravikord is a 24 string electric double bridge-harp invented by Robert Grawi in 1984, which is closely related to both the West African kora and the mbira. It was designed to employ a separated double tonal array structure making it possibl ...
*
Mande languages
The Mande languages are a family of languages spoken in several countries in West Africa by the Mandé peoples. They include Maninka (Malinke), Mandinka, Soninke, Bambara, Kpelle, Jula (Dioula), Bozo, Mende, Susu, and Vai. There are ar ...
*
Mandingo people of Sierra Leone
Mandingo people of Sierra Leone (commonly referred to as the Mandinka, Mandingo or Malinke) is a major ethnic group in Sierra Leone and a branch of the Mandinka people of West Africa. The Mandingo first settled in what is now Sierra Leone from ...
*
Mane people
The Manes (so called by the Portuguese), Mani or Manneh were invaders who attacked the western coast of Africa in what is now Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone throughout much of the sixteenth century.
Background
The widest deployment of political ...
*
N'Ko alphabet
NKo (ߒߞߏ), also spelled N'Ko, is an alphabetic script devised by Solomana Kanté in 1949, as a modern writing system for the Manding languages of West Africa. The term ''NKo'', which means ''I say'' in all Manding languages, is also used fo ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
* Lucie Gallistel Colvin. ''Historical Dictionary of Senegal''. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - Kondon (1981), pp. 216–217
* Pascal James Imperato. ''Historical Dictionary of Mali''. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - Kondon (1986), pp. 190–191
* Robert J. Mundt. ''Historical Dictionary of the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)''. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - Kondon (1987), pp. 98–99
* Robert W. Nicholls. "The Mocko Jumbie of the U.S. Virgin Islands; History and Antecedents". ''African Arts'', Vol. 32, No. 3 (Autumn 1999), pp. 48–61, 94–96
* Matt Schaffer (editor). "Djinns, Stars and Warriors: Mandinka Legends from Pakao, Senegal" (''African Sources for African History'', 5), Brill Academic Publishers (2003).
*
ETHNOLOGUE Languages of the World- Thirteenth Edition (1996)