THE CHARTER OF KOUROUKAN FOUGA

[Samori Toure]

Representatives of the Mande and their allies gathered in 1236 in Kouroukan Fouga (the present Kangaba circle) after the historic battle of Kirina adopted the following charter to govern the life of the great Mandingo ensemble.

The King Maghan Soundiata was surrounded for the occasion in the tribune by 4 Heads of Tribes of which:

1 Siby Kamandjan Camara: The King of Camara not blacksmiths.
2 Fran Camara dit Tabon N'Yana Fran Camara Chief of Kings Blacksmiths
3 Fokoly Koroma
4 Faouly Tounkara, Little brother of Nema Moussa Tounkara.

I. OF THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

Article 1: The Society of the Grand Mandé is divided into sixteen (16) quiver carriers, five (5) classes of marabouts, four (4) classes of Nyamakalas (1) one serfs (slaves) class (Mofé molu)

Each of these groups has a specific activity and role

Article 2: The Nyamakalas have to tell the truth to the chiefs, to be their advisers and to defend by the verb the established rules and the order on the whole kingdom.

Article 3: The Morikandas lolu (the five classes of marabouts) are our masters and educators in Islam. Everyone owes them respect and consideration.

Article 4: The society is divided into age classes. At the head of each of them is elected a chief. Make the age group the persons (Men or Women) born during a period of three consecutive years.

The Kangbès (International class between the young and the old) must be invited to participate in making major decisions about society.

Article 5: Everyone has the right to life and to the preservation of his physical integrity. As a result, any temptation to kill one's neighbor is punishable by the death penalty.

Article 6: To win the battle of prosperity, Kongbèn Wölö (a mode of supervision) is instituted to fight idleness and idleness.

Article 7: There is established between the Mandenkas, the Sanankuya and the tanamanyoya (form of totemism.) Consequently, no difference between these groups should degenerate, respect for the other being the rule.

Between brothers and sisters-in-law, between grandparents and grandchildren, tolerance and Shahut must be the principle.

Article 8: The Family is designated ruling family on the empire

Article 9: The education of children rests with society as a whole.

The paternal power therefore belongs to all.

Article 10: Mutual condolence.

Article 11: When your wife or your child flees, do not pursue it by the neighbor's house.

Article 12: Since the succession is patrilineal, never give power to a son that only one of his fathers lives. Never give power to a miner because he has ties.

Article 13: Never offend the Nyaras.

Article 14: Never offend women, our mothers

Article 15: Never offend your hand on a married woman until you have unsuccessfully interfered with your husband.

Article 16: Women, in addition to their daily occupations, must be associated with all our governments.

Article 17: The Lies that have lived 40 years must be considered as truths.

Article 18: Respect the right of primogeniture.

Article 19: Every man has two parents-in-law: the Parents of the Girl whom one did not have and the speech that was pronounced without any constraint.

They owe their respect and consideration.

Article 20: Do not mistreat slaves, grant them one day of rest per week and make sure that they stop working at reasonable hours. One is master of the slave and not of the bag he carries.

Article 21: Do not pursue with your assiduity the wives of the chief, the neighbor, the marabout, the fetish the friend and the partner.

Article 22: Vanity is the sign of weakness and humility the sign of greatness.

Article 23: Never betray yourself between you. Respect the word of honor.

Article 24: Never harm foreigners.

Article 25: The Chargé de mission risk nothing to Mande.

Article 26: The entrusted bull must not direct the park

Article 27: The girl can be given in marriage as soon as she is pubescent without determination of age. The choice of his parents must be followed whatever the number of candidates.

Article 28: The young man can marry from the age of 20.

Article 29: The dowry is fixed at 3 cattle: one for the daughter, two for her father and mother.

Article 30: Let us help those who need it.


II. GOODS

Article 31: There are five ways of acquiring property: purchase, donation, exchange, labor and succession. Any other form without conclusive evidence is equivocal.

Article 32: Any object found without known property becomes a common property only after 4 years

Article 33: The fourth birth of a heifer entrusted is the property of the guardian.

Article 34: A cattle must be exchanged for four sheep or four goats.

Article 35: One egg out of four is the property of the guardian of the laying hen.

Article 36: To satisfy one's hunger is not theft if one carries nothing in one's bag or pocket.


III. OF THE PRESERVATION OF NATURE

Article 37: Fakombe is appointed Chief of the hunters. It is responsible for preserving the bush and its inhabitants for the happiness of all.

Article 38: Before setting fire to the bush do not look ashore, raise your head in the direction of the treetops.

Article 39: Domestic animals must be tied at the time of crops released after harvest. Dogs, cats, ducks and poultry are not subject to this measure.

IV. FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 40: Respect kinship, marriage and neighborhood.

Article 41: Kill your enemy, do not humiliate him.

Article 42: In great assemblies, content yourself with your legitimate representatives and tolerate one another.

Article 43: Balla Fassèkè Kouyaté is appointed Grand Chief of Ceremonies and principal mediator of Mandé. He is allowed to joke with all tribes in priority with the royal family.

Article 44: All those who violate these rules the strict application of these articles.

SOGOLON COUNCIL TO ITS SON SOUNDIATA KEÏTA A

THE EYE OF THEIR DEPARTURE FOR THE EXILE

Like the princes of Do, you must carry on the head four (4) braids Symbolic .

• the first means : love your wife, but never give her the secrets of state.
• Beware of Woman, Son, because the last ascension of every great man, there is the blind love of a woman and the last fall of every great man there is the terrible hatred of a woman.

• The second means: A King, has no friends, the only reason guiding a king is the state reason.
  
  
• The third means: The Son of another is never your son, the earth of another is never your land.
  
  
• The fourth means: A kingdom can not walk without the cooperation of the old. Young people give the Kingdom the power of their muscles, the old, the fruit of experience lava. They complement each other.

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[Samori Toure]

Did This Medieval African Empire Invent Human Rights?

We usually think of the Magna Carta as the first document to encapsulate any sort of human rights. However, the "Kurukan Fuga Charter" also known as the "Mande Charter" is its contemporary and according to at least one scholar, may even predate it. In 2009, the charter was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. But the charter wasn’t written down. Instead, it was passed down orally from one generation to the next. This went on for centuries, illustrating West Africa’s rich oral tradition.

This may sound like news. Most social studies and history programs teach little about the kingdoms of Africa. Of course we know about ancient Egypt— one of the most influential civilizations in history. But not much is said about the great kingdoms of sub-Saharan Africa such as the kingdom of Kush, the kingdom of Axum, the Land of Punt, the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire, and the mysterious Zimbabwe kingdom—of which little is known.

At the founding of the Mali Empire, the Mande Charter was born. Sometime in the 1200s, a great warrior named Sundiata Keita pronounced it. Though Disney takes credit for the moniker, Keita was the original “Lion King.” After calling for a rebellion, he raised an army and squashed his sovereign’s forces, consolidating the empire, and eliminating the state of Old Ghana.

At the site of Kurukan Fuga, meaning “clearing on a hard rock,” situated between what is now Guinea and Mali, the resplendent Keita assembled a group of wise men, the chiefs of the various clans. These included Sumanworo Kanté, Emperor of Sosso, whom he had just defeated at the battle of Krina. After the charter’s declaration, it was passed down through griots or bards, the famed storytellers of the region, and keepers of the culture. This is a family affair, and stories and other items are passed down still today from father to son.

The spoken document which has also been called a “Constitution” contains a preamble and seven chapters. It speaks on social peace, the sanctity of human life, women’s rights, the right to an education, food security, and even to self-expression. The charter gave equal rights to citizens including women and slaves. The aim was to provide peace and social stability. It advocated diversity and spoke of abolishing slavery, in this case the razzia or raid.

Emperor Keita, having solidified his power, expanded his territory and took part in trade. The West African nation, also known as Mandinka, soon controlled territory from the coastline of Mauretania to the Niger River. In terms of commerce, it took control of the trade routes across the Sahara. Mandinka soon spread its laws, language, and customs throughout West Africa. The empire lasted from 1235 to 1645.

This was a dynastic Muslim kingdom which linked its heritage to the Prophet Mohammad, claiming it had been founded by his muezzin, Bilal. A muezzin is the singer who calls the faithful to prayer. Mali’s cities Djenné and Timbuktu soon grew rich from trade. It wasn’t long before they became renowned for their Islamic schools and extravagant adobe mosques. Timbuktu even had a well-regarded university, containing a library replete with some 700,000 works.

The wealth and opulence of the kingdom is illustrated in a story of one of its most famous kings, Mansa Musa. While making a pilgrimage to Mecca in the 14th century, Musa stopped off in Egypt. It is said that the monarch brought with him thousands in his retinue, perhaps tens of thousands, and a hundred camels loaded with gold. Mansa Musa spent liberally. He distributed so much gold that the value of the precious metal took a nose dive and didn’t recover for a number of years. Some historians even believe he may have been the wealthiest person in all of history.

Over time, the musas or kings lost control of their borders. By the 15thcentury, another power had risen up, the Songhai Empire, which over time absorbed its predecessor, burying the Mande Charter to all but the griot of the Mande—the empire’s descendants. These are a subset of the Mandingo people, also called the Mandinka or the Malinke. They number 11 million today, living in parts of West Africa, including the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau.

Approximately 388,000 are thought to have been captured and shipped to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade. This ethnic group was reintroduced to the world in the 1970s when Alex Haley, author of Roots, traced back his heritage to a Mandinka village called Juffure in Gambia. This was where Kunta Kinte, his real-life ancestor, was captured and sold into slavery, eventually landing in the US.

History generally places the Manden Charter at 1236. This predates the English Bill of Rights (1689) and France’s Declaration of the Right of Man and of the Citizen (1789). Most scholars today don’t believe that it predates the Magna Carta (1215-1297). But some do, including French anthropologist and ethnographer Jean-Loup Amselle, who has studied and written about African society, culture, and art, particularly how outside influences are adopted by cultures. He contends that the Manden Charter actually predates the Magna Carta.

Since it derives from an oral tradition, it isn’t easy to date. Historians as near as they can piece together have put it at 1236. But it can just as easily been codified earlier or later. Amselle contends that most scholars familiar with the subject agree that it is either contemporary to or predates the English document.

Did This Medieval African Empire Invent Human Rights?

 

[Apollo Creed]

Is this about the Mandingo Tribe or the entire collection of Mande Ethnic groups?

 

[mbewane]

I actually went to the place where the Charter was signed, in Mali. Unfortunately at that time I wasn't really informed so didn't appreciate the moment as I should've

 

[Samori Toure]

Is this about the Mandingo Tribe or the entire collection of Mande Ethnic groups?

I am not sure, because only the Mandenka are mentioned. I think that we can easily infer that the Bambara people are also covered and I presume that the Soninke must be covered because Mali consumed Ghana.

However, it may have applied to the other Mande people too like the Mende, Vai, Susu, Kpelle, etc., because that group of the Mande people lived in the Kingdom of Mali until the time of their dispersal during Mane invasion which took them into Sierra Leone, Liberia and further into Ivory Coast.

 

[Apollo Creed]

I am not sure, because only the Mandenka are mentioned. I think that we can easily infer that the Bambara people are also covered and I presume that the Soninke must be covered because Mali consumed Ghana.

However, it may have applied to the other Mande people too like the Mende, Vai, Susu, Kpelle, etc., because that group of the Mande people lived in the Kingdom of Mali until the time of their dispersal during Mane invasion which took them into Sierra Leone, Liberia and further into Ivory Coast.

I ask because I come from a Mande Tribe. The Mandingo and the Vai I believe were the main groups part of the higher ranks, and most of the other tribes were just apart of the kingdom playing various tribes. Like my grandmothers tribe I hear were in the militaries.

And correct most of the tribes bounced to the coastal West Africa at the decline of the Mali empire

 

[Samori Toure]

Here is more information about the Mali Empire that was presented by the Library of Congress. When listening to this presentation the presenter stated that Sudiata banned slavery, but it was reinstated by subsequent Mansas after his death. The saddest part is that just 300 years later many Mande people were enslaved and sold to the Europeans.

 

[JahFocus CS]

 

[Samori Toure]

I ask because I come from a Mande Tribe. The Mandingo and the Vai I believe were the main groups part of the higher ranks, and most of the other tribes were just apart of the kingdom playing various tribes. Like my grandmothers tribe I hear were in the militaries.

And correct most of the tribes bounced to the coastal West Africa at the decline of the Mali empire

Through DNA testing I am Mandingo on my mother's side. A lot of African Americans have connection to the Mandingos, Vai, Mende, Kpelle, etc. So I am always studying and learning about the Mandingos and the other Mande people and it is always eye opening.

I am Bamoum on my dad's side and that is eye opening too.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Through DNA testing I am Mandingo on my mother's side. A lot of African Americans have connection to the Mandingos, Vai, Mende, Kpelle, etc. So I am always studying and learning about the Mandingos and the other Mande people and it is always eye opening.

I am Bamoum on my dad's side and that is eye opening too.

I noticed Mande people look "different" than many of the other West African ethnic group. Usually taller, reddish brown complexions are common, and I noticed a difference in hair texture too in particular with my tribe compared to other tribes in Liberia.

People usually think Im AA ethnically until they hear my name, and growing up people always though my mom was from the islands.

It's interesting how diverse the continent of Africa is because I know a Nigerian chick (i think she is igbo) and she and her mother are HIGH yellow and 100% igbo.