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Part II Random thoughts
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Dr A Q Khan
This week I would like to concentrate on Mali's history Between the 9th and 16th centuries, three great empires rose in the region, Ghana, Mali and Songhai. The Empire of Ghana was made up of what is now Mali and Senegal, with no geographic connection with present-day Ghana. Its capital was at Kumbi, which was about 200 km north of what is Bamako today. In the early days of Islam, many Muslims were forced to migrate to Habsha in this region. This migration is famous in the history of Islam because of the memorable address of Hazrat Jaffer bin Tayyar (RA) to Najashi, the King of Habsha. Hazrat Jaffer (RA) was a cousin of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and elder brother of Hazrat Ali (RA). In his address Hazrat Jaffer (RA) delivered the message of the Prophet (PBUH) and invited the people of Habsha to embrace Islam.
His speech greatly impressed the king and his associates and many of them converted, whereby Islam took root in this region and in the area north of the Sahara. For this reason Timbuktu is also known as "The City of 333 Saints" and many Muslims from all over the world travel there. The Empire of Ghana as a whole, however, did not embrace the new religion. The empire was destroyed in the late 11th century in battles against the better-armed Muslim Berbers from Mauritania and Morocco.
In the middle of the 13th century, Sundiata Keita, leader of the Mandinka people, founded the Empire of Mali in the region between modern-day Senegal and Niger. At that time the whole region converted to Islam. By the next century, the Empire of Mali stretched from the Atlantic to present-day Nigeria and controlled nearly all trans-Saharan trade. The empire originally derived its revenues from levying taxes on gold, silver and ivory traders within its territory, but eventually it gained ownership of the gold- and silver-mining areas.
When the emperor of Mali, Mansa Musa, visited Makka via Egypt early in the 14th century, he took with him an entourage of 60,000 people and 1,500kg of gold. His lavish gifts of this precious metal all over Egypt caused the value of gold to slump for several years and also helped give rise to the myth of the super-abundance of gold in Mali, Timbuktu in particular. It is said that wherever Mansa Musa stopped for Friday prayers, he had a mosque built as a remembrance of his visit there. During this period, trans-Saharan trade reached its peak, allowing Timbuktu and Djenne' to become major centres of finance and culture. New mosques, designed by Arabian architects, and two Islamic universities, having more than 25,000 students between them, were built. By the 16th century, Timbuktu had a population of about 100,000.
While Timbuktu was at the height of its economic power, the people of Songhai to the east had established their own city-state around Gao, which became known as the Empire of Songhai. They became powerful and well organised and by the middle of the 15th century they had eclipsed the Empire of Mali. They then went on to conquer the Sahel region. The hallmark of the Songhai Empire was the establishment of a professional army. It introduced the system of civil service and provincial governors. The government financed Muslim scholars, judges and doctors in places such as Timbuktu.
This golden period in their history ended with the invasion by the Berber army from Morocco in the late 16th century. At the same time, the European maritime powers began circumventing the Saharan trade routes by sending ships along the coast of West Africa. They not only broke the Muslim trade monopoly, but also destroyed the base of the Sahel's wealth: transit levies. Thus, Timbuktu and Djenne' lost their importance. Various nations focused their attentions on the region, and Mali became a French colony in 1883, finally gaining its independence in 1960. It is ironic that Timbuktu, once a strong economic centre, now depends on others for the provision of even its basic necessities.
Of the three main ethnic groups in Mali, the Bambara, the Tuareg and the Dogon, the Bambara are concentrated in the areas around Bamako and Segou. They are the largest group and make up about one-quarter of the population. They occupy almost all senior government posts. Their artwork is well known, the most famous of which is the chiwara, a headpiece carved in the shape of an antelope and used for ritualistic dances.
The Tuareg are an ancient nomadic desert tribe. Their men are known as "blue men of the desert" because of the indigo robes and turbans they wear to protect themselves from sun and sand. The Tuaregs and their camel caravans sometimes still unexpectedly appear on the horizon before merging back into the desert as silently as they came. Concentrated in the area around Timbuktu, they are fiercely proud of their Caucasian descent and feel superior to the black Africans such as the Bambara, with whom they have a history of conflict. They are famous for their fighting abilities and their metal artwork which, not surprisingly, adorns their swords and other metal objects. Their nomadic lifestyles have seen a total change in recent years due to the dying off of most of their sheep and goats due to drought and because their camel caravans cannot compete with the trucks in transporting salt and other goods from the north. Many of them have been forced to migrate south in search of food and water for whatever animals they have left. Some have even abandoned their nomadic ways and become farmers or urban residents. Others have not been able to make this transition and live in camps outside Timbuktu, where food is distributed by relief agencies in times of drought.
The Dogon are incredibly industrious farmers living on the rocky Bandiagara Escarpment about 100 km east of Mopti. Dogon country has been designated as a World Heritage site for its cultural and natural significance. They first settled in the area during the 15th century. The original inhabitants, the Tellem, were either expelled or absorbed. Remains of old Tellem granaries and burial caves can still be seen high up on the cliff side. Dogon art and religion, including the use of ceremonial masks, is thought to have come from Tellem beliefs. The Dogon, who have resisted the Muslim faith for centuries, hold either traditional beliefs or have become Christians.
There are also other minorities in Mali--i.e., the Peul, Bozo and Songhai. In return for rice or other goods, the Peul often take care of cattle owned by farmers. The Bozo are traditionally fishermen found along the Niger River. The Songhai, who have no particular profession, are concentrated in the desert area around Gao.
Today 90 percent of the population of Mali is Muslim. Islam has a strong influence in this area, which is reflected by the fact that only 16 percent of women are in Mali's labour force, compared to 49 percent in its non-Muslim neighbour, Burkina Faso. The percentage of working women is the lowest in West Africa.
With a total population of around 10.4 million and an average birth rate of 2.9 percent, the expected population by the year 2025 is 24 million. The infant mortality rate is 164 per 1,000 live birthsthe second-highest in the world. The literacy rate is about 32 percent, which ranks among the ten lowest in the world. With these demographics, Mali faces an uphill struggle merely to exist.
(Concluded)
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