Kouroukan Fouga

The Kouroukan Fouga or Kurukan Fuga is purported to be the constitution of the Mali Empire (mid-thirteenth century to c. 1645), created after the Battle of Krina by an assembly of notables to create a government for the newly established empire. It was first alluded to in print in Djibril Tamsir Niane's book, Soundjata, ou l'Epopée Mandingue.[1] Subsequently versions of it were published in Mandinka and translated by Youssouf Cissé into French in 1991,[2] and finally, a version of compiled in 1998 by a group of traditional historians as well as modern linguists.

According to these texts, the Kouroukan Fouga established the federation of Mandinka clans under one government, outlined how it would operate and established the laws by which the people would live. Mansa (Emperor) Sundiata Keita presented the document at a plain near the town of Ka-ba (present day Kangaba), and it has survived through oral tradition passed down by generations of djeli or griots. The djeli have preserved much of the history of the Mali Empire including its kings, battles and system of government.

Contents

Rediscovery and publication

Although texts of the Kouroukan Fouga were published earlier, notably by Cissé, they were normally based on the testimony of a single informant. In order to create a more comprehensive text, in 1998, a regional workshop was held in Kankan, Guinea to publish and preserve the oral history related to the area's djeli or griots. Assisted by modern communicators and Guinea linguists under the supervision of Siriman Kouyaté, the leading traditionalists authority from Niagasole in Guinea, transcribed and translated the laws and edicts preserved in different regions from the core of the Mali Empire. Kouyaté then organized the recorded edicts, making sure not alter their original translation.

The Kouroukan Fouga, as published by Kouyaté, contains 44 edicts. They are divided into four sections concerned with Social Organization (edicts 1-30), Property Rights (edicts 31-36), Environmental Protection (edicts 37-39) and Personal Responsibilities (edicts 40-44).

Historic and cultural importance

Although it is purported to be a faithful reproduction of a charter created in the fourteenth century, some modern-day agents have sought to cast doubt on this achievement, opining instead that the Kouroukan Fouga must be strictly a modern oral tradition. Niane, Cissé, and others from the generation of scholars in the 1960s firmly believed that the Mandinka jelis were capable of recalling ancient texts and facts for great lengths of time without alteration. More recent scholars, however, have questioned how much of this and other oral traditions about ancient Mali can contain, and how many accretions or alterations have slipped in. While there is not a consensus on the matter, the degree to which the modern text can be said to be an unaltered text of the original charter, if indeed there were one at that time, has to be considered controversial.[3]

For those who accept that the present version of the Kouroukan Fouga represents the original charter, the Mali Imperial constitution is regarded as a landmark achievement in the history of Africa and the world for several reasons. As far as global significance, the document is one of the earliest declarations of human rights. Its importance to Africa is demonstrated in three main achievements. First, it established uniform laws and regulations over a significant portion of West Africa (equal to the size of Western Europe) for the first time in recorded history. Second, it afforded uniform rights for all citizens including women and slaves, unheard of in many parts of the world. Third, it is uniquely African in that it does not directly borrow from any existing law documents as opposed to the Ethiopian Fetha Negest. The prominence of the Mandinka in West Africa allowed the ideas and values within the Kouroukan Fouga to spread far beyond the borders of the Mali Empire. Many peoples related to the Mande still abide by its traditions.

Contents

The Kouroukan Fouga divided the new empire into ruling clans (lineages) that were represented at a great assembly called the Gbara. There were 16 clans known as the Djon-Tan-Nor-Woro (quiver carriers) responsible for leading and defending the empire. There were also 4 clans known as the Mori-Kanda-Lolou (guardians of the faith) that guided the ruling clans in matters of Islamic law. There were 4 nyamakala clans (people of caste) who had the monopoly on certain trades, which included but was not limited to smelting, woodworking, and tanners. Lastly, there were 4 clans of djeli (masters of speech) who recorded the history of the empire through song. Combined these would make up the 29 seat Gbara at the plain of Kouroukan Fougan (named after the event where Sundiata "divided the world"). The 30th seat was likely occupied by the mansa's djeli called the belen-tigui (master of ceremonies), or may have been reserved for a female monitor since the constitution states women are to be represented at all levels of government (edict 16).

Social Organization

Of Goods

Preservation of Nature

Final Disposals

Notes

  1. ^ Djibril Tamsir Niane, Soundjata ou l'Epoupée Mandingue (Paris, 1960). English translation by G. D. Pickett as Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (London, 1965) and subsequent reprinted editions.
  2. ^ Youssef Cissé and W Kamisoko, eds.and transl, Soundiata, la gloire du Mali. La grande geste du Mali (2 vols., Paris, 1991).
  3. ^ Ralph Austin, ed. In search of Sunjata: the Mande oral epic as history, literature and performance (Bloomington, 1999).

References

External links

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