Tsetse flies are found in or near Africa’s equatorial forests and savanna woodlands. They need a warm, humid, shady place in which to live and can’t survive in open grasslands or heavily grazed areas. Since they can’t fly far and need to eat almost every day, they also need an adequate supply of prey nearby.
‘Umari, al- / al-Omari – Shihab ad-Din Ahmad ibn Fadl Allah al-‘Umari (1301-1349), was a renowned Arab historian who wrote about Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali.
University of Sankoré – Founded in Timbuktu by Mansa Musa, the University of Sankoré became renowned throughout the Muslim world. Its scholars wrote about a broad range of subjects. Their topics included the sciences of astronomy, botany, and mathematics; Islamic thought and practices; proverbs; legal opinions; and historical accounts. For more, see Timbuktu in this book’s Glossary.
Walata – A “port” city at the southern edge of the Sahara, Walata was a large commercial and cultural center. Following Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage, however, Walata’s importance began to decline as trade with Egypt, which was usually carried through Timbuktu, increased.
Wangara – The area, probably Bambuk and maybe Bure, too, where the gold mines were. Confusingly, the term is and was also used to refer to the gold-traders themselves.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
A YOUNG MAN FROM MALI SAT DOWN NEXT TO ME ON THE BUS: “You’re writing a book about Mansa Musa? I didn’t know anyone in America knew who he was. He was our Lincoln!”
The main events of Mansa Musa’s life are in history’s records. Two of the most renowned ancient scholars to write about Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali, al-‘Umari and Ibn Battuta, wrote in a very engaging and personal style that included bits of dialogue and detailed descriptions of events, places, and people. Al-‘Umari, a highly regarded historian, carefully interviewed people and then wrote about what he’d learned. Ibn Battuta, a world traveler and the author of one of the most famous travel books ever written, visited Mali for a year during its Golden Age. His writing is a first-hand account of his experiences told with wit, energy, and, occasionally, a Muslim bias. Ibn Khaldun, the greatest of the Arab historians, wrote a chronicle of the empires of the Western Sudan using information he gathered from written records, interviews and, importantly, from the oral traditions of many different Sudanese peoples. Because he, alone among the Arab writers, included information from the oral traditions, he was able to write a history that, according to Nehemia Levtzion (Ancient Ghana and Mali), moved across the centuries in a dynamic, living way. His work is, therefore, an important link between the written records and the oral traditions of West Africa. Other ancient scholars from West as well as North Africa wrote histories of West Africa. Many of their books and manuscripts, tens of thousands of them, languish unpublished, but safe, in dusty back rooms in Timbuktu. Many others have disappeared, but some have survived, been translated and published. Well-worn stories, modern archeological excavations, and the Epic of Old Mali tell us more.
From these sources, modern scholars have written their histories of West Africa, and from their books (listed in Bibliography) I have culled and synthesized the story of Mansa Kankan Musa, Mali’s greatest emperor. Sometimes I’ve had to choose between sources or have combined the information they offer. For instance, in the beginning, I have Kankan Musa standing beside his uncle. His true relationship to this man is uncertain—sources vary. Was he his uncle, as some sources state, or a cousin perhaps? Historians agree that the “uncle” was a direct descendant of Sundiata, Kankan’s great-uncle. Because matrilineal succession was still occasionally practiced in Mali, I chose to make him Kankan’s uncle. Twice, when he is traveling north, I have attributed to Mansa Musa observations that were actually made by Ibn Battuta during his visit to Mali. In an effort to bring Mansa Musa and his society more fully to life, especially for young readers, I have added a few details such as the color of Mansa Musa’s horse and bits of dialogue between the Mansa and his servant, but always this information is in keeping with the events and emotions described by the scholars listed in my Bibliography. A well-known children’s biographer, Kathryn Lasky, calls this process “responsible imagining.”
I have not written much about the women of Mali because the ancient scholars themselves wrote little about them. Basil Davidson, a modern expert on African history, gives two reasons for this lack of information in his book African Civilization Revisited. First, the writers were men. Secondly, the mutual respect between men and women recommended by Muhammad had been replaced by a “stiff male supremacism” in the countries of North Africa, and most of the ancient scholars who wrote about Mali were either from North Africa or were influenced by their traditions.
South of the Sahara this attitude of male supremacy was not admired or even acknowledged. For instance, when Ibn Battuta visited the home of a well-respected resident of Walata (African Civilization Revisited), he was deeply shocked to see his host’s wife visiting with another man. “You permit this?” he asked. “Yes,” his host replied, “the association of men and women is agreeable to us and a part of good manners.”
I have enjoyed my journey to pre-colonial, sub-Saharan Africa and to the mighty Sahara. I hope you found your journey as interesting and as enjoyable as mine has been.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR THE INVALUABLE HELP OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE: Jenni James–a most skilled writer, David H. Copp–a computer wizard, Dorcas Abbot–a skilled and helpful librarian, California’s interlibrary loan program, Marty Dunn and Catharine Gill for editorial help, Katharine Ball, Barbara White, Vista Pickett, Julian Grey and Linda Stephenson.
I would also like to acknowledge my indebtedness to a host of historians, archeologists, photographers, artists, dyelis and griots whose efforts have made the telling of this story possible. Also, and most importantly, I am indebted to the fascinating and courageous people of pre-colonial Africa who lived the lives that created the story I’ve told.
NOTES
Complete information for all sources cited here can be found in the Bibliography.
1) While in Cairo, Mansa Musa told Ibn Amir Hajib, a Cairene (person from Cairo) scholar, the story of his uncle’s voyage and of his own succession to the throne. A few years later, Ibn Hajib repeated the Mansa’s story to al-‘Umari who included it in his book Masalik ab Absar fi Mamalik al Amsar. For more information, see African Civilization Revisited: From Antiquity to Modern Times, pp. 95-6; Introduction To African Civilizations, pp. 234-5, 261-2; African Saga: a brief introduction to african history, p. 123; General History of AfricaIV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, pp. 150-1; The Lost Cities of Africa, pp. 74-5; Wonders Of The African World, p. 132; The Story of Africa, p. 113; “‘Umari, al-.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition, 1998.
2) For evidence that supports the belief that West Africans arrived in the New World before Columbus, see Introduction To African Civilizations, pp. 232-263; The African presence in Ancient America: They Came Before Columbus, This book includes a good collection of photos that support its premise that black Africans reached the Americas before Columbus. The Story of Africa, p.113. For more, see the Canoes and Ships entry in this book’s Glossary.
3) Africa: A Companion to the P B S Series, p. 77; The Cambridge History of Africa: Volume 3: from c. 1050 to c. 1600, p. 283; A History of Africa, p. 90; Africa Before the White Man, p. 39; “kola nut.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition, 1998.
4) The Cambridge History of Africa: Volume 3: from c. 1050 to c. 1600, pp. 386-7; Ancient Ghana and Mali, pp. 111, 115-6, 148, 178; The Lost Cities of Africa, pp. 71-2, 80; General History of Africa·IV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, p. 164; African Kingdoms, pp. 30-1; The Horizon History Of Africa, pp. 210, 225; A History of Africa, pp. 71-2, 90; Topics in West African History, p. 7; The Kingdoms of Africa, p. 24; Africa In History, pp. 75-6.
5) African Kingdoms, pp. 89, 81-2; A History of the African People, pp. 64-7, 77; History of West Africa, pp.
142-3; Ancient Ghana and Mali, pp. 115-6, 123, 132, 148-9, 163, 179-81; General History of Africa·IV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, pp. 164-71; The Story of Africa, pp. 90-1.
6) African Kingdoms, pp. 43-57. This book contains an excellent collection of Tassili n’ Ajjer paintings.
7) The African Past, p. 75; “Musa.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition, 1998; The Golden Trade of the Moors, p. 24; African Saga, p. 124.
8) “Fortress of the Mountain,” Saudi Aramco World, March-April, 1993, pp. 32-9. http//www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199302/fortress.of.the.mountain.htm; Cairo, pp. 85-7; Cairo: 5500 Years, p. 92.
9) The Lost Cities of Africa, p. 72; The Golden Trade of the Moors, p. 114.
10) Ancient Ghana and Mali, pp. 212-3. For more information, see Sarāj al-Dīn ibn al-Kuwayk in this book’s Glossary.
11) Shapers of Africa, pp. 25-6; The Story of Africa, pp. 110-1.
12) Musical Instruments of Africa; Their Nature, Use, and Place in the Life of a Deeply Musical People, pp. 24-39, 46, 64-5, 69, 83-5; African Kingdoms, pp. 27, 83; African Saga, p. 130; The Kingdoms of Africa, p. 26; The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, p.73; “kora.” Google Search, 2005.
13) Shapers of Africa, pp. 28-9.
14) Africa’s Glorious Legacy, pp. 114, 116.
15) A History of Africa, p. 78; The Lost Cities of Africa, pp. 80-1, 90-1; General History of Africa·IV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, pp. 156, 165; Introduction To African Civilizations, pp. 211-2; Africa In History, p. 125; Ancient African Kingdoms, p. 56; The Kingdoms of Africa, p. 29.
16) Wonders Of The African World, pp. 144-5; The New York Times, “Project Digitizes Works From the Golden Age of Timbuktu” 20 May 2008. In 2008, a team from Northwestern University initiated the digitization of these texts for the Internet and for distribution to scholars worldwide.
17) The African Past: Chronicles from Antiquity to Modern Times, p. 64.
18) Into Africa: A Journey through the Ancient Empires, p. 266.
19) The Story of Africa, p. 113.
20) Spectacular Vernacular: The Adobe Tradition, p. 41. This book contains an excellent selection of photographs of mud architecture.
21) Ibid., p. 56.
22) Into Africa: A Journey Through the Ancient Empires, p. 261; Africa: A Companion to the P B S Series, p. 191.
23) Africa: A companion to the P B S Series, p. 192.
24) Africa: A companion to the P B S Series. p. 64; Africa: A Biography Of The Continent, p. 37.
25) The Golden Trade of the Moors, pp. 92-3. This source refers to several accounts of blind Saharan guides. For more, see The Christian Science Monitor, “Salt of the earth and stars,” 26 January 1983; The History of the Long Captivity and Adventures of Thomas Pellow, in South-Barbary, pp. 202-204.
26) A History of West Africa: To The Nineteenth Century, pp. 175-181; Africa: History of a Continent, p. 118.
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