Page 33 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 32
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MALI
LEARNING FROM
THE PAST Illustration of Mansa Musa, Emperor of Mali Empire
By Samuel Phillips
Ancient Mali Empire
ife is very dynamic. Whatever was I will be gleaning a few excerpts from an
has a way of returning to become article written by Mark Cartwright and
Lwhat is now or what will be published on World History Encyclopedia.
tomorrow. So technically, today is just the
tomorrow that we talked about yesterday and “The Mali Empire (1240-1645) of West
knowledge is a stream that flows in a circle, Africa was founded by Sundiata Keita (r.
allowing us to drink from that which was in 1230-1255) following his victory over the
ancient times while also giving us the room to kingdom of Sosso (c. 1180-1235). Sundiata’s
share the circle with the next generation. centralised government, diplomacy and well-
When it comes to learning from the past or trained army permitted a massive military
drinking from the fountain of knowledge of expansion which would pave the way for a
ancient times, Africans tend to cast their eyes flourishing of the Mali Empire, making it the
on ancient Kemet. However, ancient Kemet largest yet seen in Africa.”
is only one of the many centers of knowledge
in ancient Africa, though the most popular. “The reign of Mansa Musa I (1312-1337)
Also, when Africans talk about the ancient saw the empire reach new heights in terms
Mali empire, it always seems to be from the of territory controlled, cultural florescence,
perspective of the great Emperor Mansa Musa and the staggering wealth brought through
of Mali. But ancient Mali was known for Mali’s control of regional trade routes. Acting
diverse things and we will take a look at some as a middle-trader between North Africa via
of the things it was known for and just maybe the Sahara desert and the Niger River to the
we will glean some knowledge and wisdom south, Mali exploited the traffic in gold, salt,
from that era. copper, ivory, and slaves that crisscrossed
Learning from the past is not just about West Africa. Muslim merchants were
reading books of history, but also about attracted to all this commercial activity, and
listening to those who are of the past, I mean they converted Mali rulers who in turn spread
the older people.
ISSUE 32 | DECEMBER 2024 33
