Mansamusoo Djire Aoua of Mandeka Kurufaba (Mali)

Inspired by the Music - Still by Baaba Mal & Hanz Zimmer (Sung in Senegalese)



West Africa, to the eyes of many westerners, is both home to the richest of the world, as well as some of the most controversial part of the history of new world colonization. The region is famous for their part of the Triangular Trade during the colonization era, serving as a trade points for Manufactured Goods, Textilles and Rums from Europe as well as source of lucrative Slaves for the colonies of the New World. While some considered it as one of the Darkest History of this Dark Continent, we must not forget that West Africa, was also home to some of the most powerful and richest empires, Like Ghana and Mali in the middle ages, surpassing any Oriental and European Power of the same time, whose Size only came in second, after the Mongol Empire.


In this drawing, Mansamusoo Djire Aoua is depicted in a very stylized attire worn by the nobilities and elite cavalry foces of the Malian army. The headdress is influenced by the ones worn by the tuareg, but the weapons are based on contemporary design found and used in western Africa. Chainmail is worn underneath the clothing for protection, though historically speaking, most of these would have to be imported from overseas and were very very expensive. The depiction of Malian female warrior may be somewhat inaccurate and anachronistic, bit to the African society, women warriors are no strangers in their history. This style is developed from the original drawings of Women Warriors of Africa - Concept Drawing

Thus, with this drawing, I would like to draw people's attention to what i describe in my own world, an interesting part of History in the Western African region that is often overlooked an forgotten, amidst this stereotyped imaged that we see often in the Media. I do have to admit, I am not expert in history, nor I am an expert in depicting history accurately, so if you have any suggestion or correction, please feel free to let me know

Drawn as part of the Women Warriors of Africa in the Historically Wrong Sketch Series, featuring 5 distinct African cultures represented in the series Anachronism and Historically Inaccurate depictions



Dedicated to and for their continuous support.





Camel was first domesticated in this region since ancient time long before the Arabs did. This allowed many of the tribes and trade-cities to conduct trade of gold, salt, textiles horse and other with their neighbors like the Berber and the Carthaginian. From the properous trade rose one multi-ethnic, diverse and culturally complex power called the Ghana Empire (wagadu). The origin of it is much of a scholarly debate, the societies itself had existed since around 16th Century BCE, as well as around Ghana's core in the 5th Century AD. What we do know is that, the first properly documented mention of Ghana Empire was done by Muslims during their conquest of northern Africa, around 9th century. As noted by a Cordoban muslim scholar Abu Ubayd al-Bakri, Ghana Empire was both rich and powerful, able to mass 200,000 men on the field. There's little records of the ruling dynasties of the Ghana Empire, but what we do know, in the latter stage the Empire was plagued with political instability, which paved a way for another Empire to rise in the 13th century, the Mali Empire.

Mali was a very rich trading empire, controlling as much as half of the known world Gold supplies throughout its reign in the 14th century before the discovery of gold mines in the New world. Apart from that, Salt, Copper, Kola (A Caffeine-rich, semi narcotic nuts) and Slaves were also prominent trade commodities which brought many revenues to the already rich empire that ruled this part of Western Africa. Perhaps, the most famous of its ruler was Mansa Musa I, the richest man ever recorded in the history, shines brighter than any of the rulers in this region. He was a patron for the building of his empire, and his policy allowed numerous construction of Madrassas, Mosques, palaces and learning centres, notably in Gao and Timbuktu, with the help of various architects imported from Andalusia, Egypt and other parts of the world. This allowed Timbuktu to became a new prominent learning center for Muslim scholars to study, whose wealth also attracted merchants from Genoa, Venice and Granada to trade in exchange for Gold.

When Mansa Musa I took his pilgrimage to Mecca along with his 60,000 subjects, his great generosity became a stuff of legend. He distributed gold dust to every poor he met in his route, traded his gold for souvenirs, even as far as building new mosque every Friday, all of which, were properly recorded. Interestingly, his generosity in distributing gold caused a devastation to the regional economy, whose effect could be strongly felt in Cairo, Mecca and Madina as Mansa Musa's action of flooding the area with sudden influx of gold devaluated the price of Gold in the region. In order to reverse the sudden hyperinflation, He borrowed many gold from money-lenders in Cairo at high interest which cushion the effect and stabilizes the price of gold. We could say that this man single-handedly controlled the price of gold of the region, the first and the only man who managed to do so in the Mediterranean world.

Apart from the story surrounding Mansa Musa I's achievement, Mali empire was also a powerful state, both politically and militarily. Its borders contain area larger than any European kingdom of that time, and in its height in the 14th century, the only empire who is larger than Mali was the Mongol Empire. Its army consisted of a mixed semi-professional full time soldiers that guards its borders, as well as slaves and freemen who were subjects to the empire that could mobilize its entire military manpower at a short notice. Historians and scholars who lived in Mali Empire consistently recorded that the Malian army numbered to 100,000 men, with 10,000 of them composed of cavalry forces.

As for the religion, Islam took it roots deep within the Mali Empire. The religion itself was brought by Muslim traders since the time of Ghana Empire, but Arab scholars noted on how unique the religion of Islam was adhered within the Empire itself. The Malians adhered Islam devoutly, but it also still celebrated the traditional animistic traditions of its forefathers and was also uniquely tolerant to other religions in the area, including the Christians and the traditional beliefs. The consolidation of Islam also allowed numerous interracial and multi-ethnic marriage between tribes. The society was highly hierarchical, but in practice, it was a mobile one. Women in particular, could and did take part in commercial activities, thought there were little or no records of them taking part in military and political activity during the reign of Mali Empire.

Nevertheless, despite of all its achievements and the considerable awe it got from both the Muslim and the European world, the Mali empire succumbed into politcal instability and numerous internal conflicts in its later days. Some of the Mali's subjects revolted and became independent. like the Gao and those where the Fulani had influenced. In the north, the Tuareg tried to reclaim Timbuktu in early 15th century and caused devastation in the region. By the 16th century, a new power called the Songhai rose and they succeeded in sacking the Malian capital of Niani, as well as absorbing eastern part of the now declining empire. Although it survived for another 2 centuries, the legacy of power that it had during the middle ages had became a history, and Mali could never reclaimed its position again as a power in Western Africa.