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Ghana and mali essay
Sundiata's contribution to the rise of Mali
Ghana and mali essay
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Oskar Fransson
Mr. Roley
Reading and Language Art
29 April 2014
The Empire of Mali
The Empire of Mali
Have you ever seen the movie “Lion King”? In this paper you are going to read a little bit about the real Lion King. He is a human, but he and the Lion King have some things in common. By the time he died, he had created an empire called Mali. The Mali empire controlled the gold-salt trade, created great leaders, and was the dominate country in Africa for many years.
The land where Mali was located was first controlled by Ghana. Ghana had control over the gold-salt trade, but they lost it when they came in the war. Ghana was now very rich because of the gold-salt trade. Many people came there to trade, and the leader took taxes for trading, so he got rich. Ghana had lasted from 900 to 1240, said fofweb (//www.fofweb.com//). But then was attacked in the 11th by a Muslim group called the Almoravids. The Almoravids had power in North Africa at that time. They wanted other Muslims to follow the Almoravids interpretation of Islam. During the attack, Ghana began to crumble and the big empire of Ghana started to get weak. In 1076, the Almoravids seized the capital city of Koumbi Saleh.One guy named Sumanguru, the King of Sosso, was killing all Sundiatas brothers except one of his brother who was the King but he was really weak. Sundiata was handicapped and couldn’t use his legs and was only seven years old so Sumanguru let him live. Sundiatas last brother got killed after a while by Sumanguru.
Sundiata started the empire of Mali. He organized a powerful army and took over the old borders of Ghana. Sundiata worked hard to learn how to walk and overcome his handicap. He expanded his empire further than Ghana and took over the gold-salt tra...
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...f Mali. It was three main leaders who fought. One of them called Abubakar II is remembered as the king who wanted to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The three leaders fought a lot and for a really long time. They fought so much they raided and burned the city Timbuktu. This wasn’t the best time of Mali. The empire of Mali got weaker and weaker all the time. The neighbor lands started to rebel against Mali and took over there land.
So the thing that people would remember Mali for is for their great leaders, the gold-salt trade and that they were the dominate country during that time. They are going to remember Mansa Musa and Sundiata the most because they expended the borders and made Mali stronger and better. They were the best leaders Mali had. They were the leaders that made Mali so big and strong because when they died Mali got weaker cause no one was as good as them.
In documents one and two they explain and evaluate the trading system and routes of the African empires, kingdoms, and cities. Document one shows the layout of the Aksum trade center and the routes which lead to and from it. Aksum is an empire located right by the Red Sea, its location made it an important international trading center. African trade centers mainly focused on the exchanges of salt and gold. Since the red sea ports are controlled by the rea sea and Aksum was located right by it, its locations made it the center of the trade center. However, in document two it describes the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade. The trans-Saharan gold and salt trade was controlled by the rich and powerful Ghana kingdom. The king had shields
Before the arrival of European traders, Africa had successful in maintaining complex civilizations. The cities of Timbuktu and Mali demonstrate this with their qualities. A Moroccan traveler journeyed to Timbuktu and described it as a land of “many doctors, judges, priests and other learned men, that are well maintained at the king’s cost. Various manuscripts and written
There was also a Kingdom called Mali that broke off from the Ghana Empire. At this time they had embraced the religion of Islam and had been under the great rule of Mansa Musa. This empire had the job of protecting the caravans or shipments carrying the goods, so that they can trade. They helped towards the function of trade so that both the importer and exporter gained something. In document 3 it explains how their wealth was great because of their trade. The document also talks about the fact that they had exhibited the characteristics of an advanced divination like sufficient food to feed its people, a strong army equipped with advanced weapons and income derived from taxes. Even though the Mali Empire had wealth there was very little corruption if there was with the ruler. He did not go mad with power but he was generous. In document four it states they there was no person who did not receive a sum of gold from him.
Mali was a place in power because of several crucial factors that all led to it becoming powerful. First, Mali was a perfect geographic location for trade and had a big trading network with other nations in Africa and South of Europe. Mali also had a great abundance of natural resources that were valuable to trade with. Such as items like gold,salt,and copper to offer many nations. Second, Mali taken the Islamic faith as its official religion which strengthened bonds with other Islamic nations in Africa. Third, Mali had a great leader with the name of Mansa Musa, who ensured peace and order, and enhanced the economy, and also promoted academic excellence. Lastly Mali had a strong military that was
Sundiata is about the founding of the Mali Empire in West Africa. The Mali Empire being one of the three great West African Empires was located just below the Sahara Desert. The Mali Empire is not the same as the nation of Mali. While reading the story I got confused on if the nation of Mali was the same as the empire. The Mali Empire was greatly influenced by Islam. It was also a polytheistic empire and the religion of Islam was adopted into their beliefs instead of subsuming to it.
He decided to improve the status of his land on his arrival from a pilgrimage from Mecca in 1324. Furthermore, he transformed his trading city of Timbuktu to a center of learning and religion and built a mass, which set a new style of architecture in West Africa. “Caravans of Gold” underlines the importance of Timbuktu because it concentrated on African scholarship, politics, teaching theology, and Islamic law. Timbuktu was a significant place in Africa during this time because it became a market right after and made a profit for the region. Likewise, it was a religious, cultural, and profitable center whose people traveled north across the Sahara through Morocco and Algeria to other parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. According to The History of Africa, “Because of his devotion to Islam, Mansa Musa strengthened Islam and promoted education, trade, and commerce in Mali” (Asante, 2014, pg. 135). It was a successful center for the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade and grew as the center of Islam. This statement launches the truth that Timbuktu supported Islamic values and knowledge because it was a city most well-known for the education of important scholars whose backgrounds were of Islam. Asante supports the fact that Mansa Musa was effective in reforming the city of Timbuktu and the trade in that area. Asante also states that “Musa did not forget the control of the gold and salt; it was fundamental for the
When I was finished reading both Sundiata and God’s Bits of Wood I had a better understanding of the strong relationship between the African people and their leaders. Even though Sundiata and Ihamim Bakayoko became leaders by different means, they displayed a lot of similarities. Sundiata was a king, so the people had to obey him because of his status. However his subjects did not follow him for that reason, they listened to Sundiata because he was a good leader. As a wise African leader, Sundiata ruled in consultation. Sundiata’s number one consultant was his griot, Balla Fasseke. As D.T. Niane said griots know the history of kings and their kingdoms, which is why they are the best advisors of kings because whoever knows the history of a country can read its future. This could be seen when Sundiata and his family were preparing to leave Mali in exile. Sundiata’s mother who, also served as a consultant, had warned him that the queen mother was preparing to harm his family and that it would be in their best interest to leave the kingdom and return at a later time. Balla Fasseke counseled Sundiata by preparing for his departure in detail and informing him of his destiny. Balla Fasseke’s influence could be seen again on the eve of Krina before Sundiata went into battle with Soumaoro. That evening Balla Fasseke sat down with Sundiata and discussed everything with him from the history of the Mali to his role as a leader. Finally Sundiata’s dedication to consultation was obvious when the fighting finally ceased. Instead of keeping all the land he acquired for himself, Sundiata returned it to the leaders. He also set a system up whereby all the leaders would get together and discuss their problems.
So many Americans today are in the dark about the true origin of the African descent. From my past experiences in history classes, the teacher of coarse job is to teach from the textbook. The problem with that is the whole truth does not lie between those pages of how African culture became about. I will discuss the first king of Egypt and how his story applies today.
When studying a novel it sometimes helps to look at the language used in a specific passage. In the novel In The Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje, this approach is extremely helpful. It will help you better understand the characters and give you a clearer idea of what the author is trying to say. Within the novel, the passage entitled “The Skating Scene,'; where Patrick observes the loggers skating late at night, is stylistically interesting. By looking at metaphors, symbolism and diction, we can gain a better understanding of the characters and make connections within the scene and then to the novel as a whole.
Sundiata developed into a great leader of Mali through hardships, religion, and core/tributary/periphery relationships of states. The djeli who transmitted this information to the translators, is also a manifestation of an institution important in Sundiata’s epic, because without djelis these stories would be lost forever. Sundiata learned about the formation, running and maintenance of African states through interactions with the communities he was introduced to.
The. Centuries of Greatness - The West African Kingdoms: 750-1900, Chelsea House Publishers, 1995. McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay - Life in Medieval Africa, Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1994. Bianchi, Robert.
Have you ever read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? You have! It’s a great book right. However, have you ever wonder what the theme might be. The book is mostly about compassion and forgiveness. Which character is the most compassionate? Lucy is the most compassionate person in the story. Who is the most forgiving person in the story? Edmund is the most forgiving person in the story. I believe the theme is treat others the way you want to be treated.
...sident of Burkina Faso made people believe that Africa could be autonomous and self reliant and inspired many others to stand up for themselves, even giving his country a name that means “the land of upright men” in Mòoré and Dioula.
The Mongol and the Mali Empires differ in their rise with the use of certain methods towards conquering. Geographic locations play an enormous role in the rise of both these magnificent empires. In the Mali empire, Islam was prevalent unlike the Mongol Empire where everyone was allowed to practice their own religion. Another difference would be the methods by which they arose. Although warfare existed within the Mali empire, Mali arose by peaceful methods. However, the Mongol empire attacked states which were already established. If people ...
The Kingdom of Mali was an African hub of wealth, trade and education for over 225 years. Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word that means, “Where the king dwells”, and was vitally important in spreading trade, education, religion and culture along the Niger River. The rise of Mali into an Empire occurred in the early 13th century, when Sundiata defeated his enemies and won control of the West African gold mines. In 1312 Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali. During his reign which was known as Mali’s, “Golden Age”, he introduced Islamic beliefs to many communities along the Niger and enhanced education after his historic pilgrimage to Mecca. Mali’s rise was attributed to the Trans-Saharan Trade routes leading to and from Western and Eastern Africa. These trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of powerful African Kingdoms for hundreds of years, but for 250 years, Mali was the crown jewel of Africa.