Mansong Diarra (c. 1790–1808), also rendered Monzon Jara,[1] was the faama of the Bambara Empire.[2] Son of king Ngolo Diarra, he the throne of Ségou following his father's death in battle.[3] He earned renown as a great warrior, with defeats against several other groups, including Kaarta, Massina, Dogon, and Mossi.[1]
| Mansong Diarra | |
|---|---|
| Faama | |
| Reign | 1790-1808 |
| Predecessor | Ngolo Diarra |
| Successor | Da Diarra |
| Died | 1808 |
| House | Ngolosi |
| Father | Ngolo Diarra |
| Religion | traditional African religion |
Mungo Park, passing through the Bambara capital of Ségou in 1797 recorded a testament to the Empire's prosperity under Mansong:
The view of this extensive city, the numerous canoes on the river, the crowded population, and the cultivated state of the surrounding countryside, formed altogether a prospect of civilization and magnificence that I little expected to find in the bosom of Africa.[4][5]
Mansong himself provided Park with a gift of 5000 cowries to help him on his travels.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Ajayi, J.F.A. (1989). Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s. General history of Africa. UNESCO. p. 683. ISBN 978-92-3-101712-4. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Mali". Histoire de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (in French). 26 March 2005. Archived from the original on 26 March 2005.
- ^ "Western and Central Sudan, 1600-1800 A.D." Archived from the original on 14 October 2003.
Encompasses present-day Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, and eastern Chad
- ^ Park, Mungo (1799). Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa: Performed Under the Direction and Patronage of the African Association, in the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797. London: W. Bulmer and Company. p. 196.
- ^ Quoted in Davidson, Basil (1995). Africa in History. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 245. ISBN 0-684-82667-4.
- ^ Green, Toby (2020). A Fistful of Shells. UK: Penguin Books. p. 410.
- ^ Kesteloot, L. (1993). L'épopée Bambara de Ségou: Recueillie et traduite - Tome 1 (in French). Editions L'Harmattan. p. 6. ISBN 978-2-296-25690-3. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
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