Thursday 29 December 2016

Samoure Toure of the Mandlka Empire

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Samoure Toure  was born   around  1830 by Lafiya Toure and his mother  was Masorona  in the  Mandika  peasant  family  who practiced  traditional  kind  of life. As a young  man, he joined  the  Duilla  long distance  trading  community  which  made  him  to  travel  over  the country  between  Sierra  Leone  and the  upper  Niger  dealing  in Gold,  Slaves,  Kola nuts, cattle and firearms. He was also converted  to the Tijaniyya brotherhood  to which many of the Duilla traders belonged.
Through such movements, he acquired variable knowledge of local affairs over a wide area which  he  some  how  later  used  in  the  administration   of  the  Mandika   empire  he  built himself. In his adulthood he abandoned  this profitable  trade when his mother was captured in slave trade. Under the order of Chief Sere Boulay of Sise kingdom in 1853.
In order to have his mother released,  Samoure Toure associated with chief Sere and became a  recognised   member  of  his  army.  In  1857,  he  broke  away  from  Sere's   army  after acquisition   of  skills  of warfare  and  weapons  which  he was  later  to use  in bringing  up numerous  Mandika states under his leadership. He gradually conquered  many states under his leadership. I:{egradually  conquered  many other small states in West Africa e.g. in 1867 he annexed  Sanankoro  territory  and later conquered  Sise kingdom  which  enabled  hint to form a giant Mandika empire.                                                                                                
Samoure  Toure  didn't   only  expand  his  empire  by  force,  he sometimes  made  marriage
alliances with groups of people such as Toure of Odiene or diplomatic  relations  with, men like Tijani of Dinguirray society.                                                                                        
Samoure  Toure  stressed  education  and in his newly  conquered  villages,  his fiist concern was  to establish  the Mosques,  Schools  and bringing  in of teachers.  He took  a personal interest  in  the  schools  and  education   was  made  compulsory   for  the  children   of  state officials. The army was also a means of converting and educating people and soldiers about the needs of the Mandika  Empire. Soldiers were taught how to be faithful, disciplined  and basic literacy.
Sarnoure Toure   had  the  ability· of  integrating   politics   with  economic   control   over Agriculture  and markets.   He made trade easier by abolishing  a great number  of custom charges   among  the  small   states.   Although   merchants   resented   the  tight  control of Agriculture and markets, they benefited  a lot from his promotlon of export trade in which he encouraged the exchange  of Agriculture  products with weapons  and ammunmons  from Europeans at the coast.
Samoure was able to use his fellow Duilla traders as his spies far away among the French in the Tukolor Empire and Futa Djalon islands plus the British in Free town    (Sierra Leone). This  helped him to  succeed  in international  diplomatic  relations.  As his  former  fnends these spy men were paid well.
By 1888, Toure's  Empire was the third largest political unit in West Sudan states following Sokoto Caliphate and Tukolor Empire. Toure wanted political unification and revival of the Mandika  greatness.  He used Islam  as a tool of unifying  the people  of Mandika kingdom. He wanted  his new  state  , rules  and regulations  to be fully  based  on Islam  although  he sympathised with traditional religion.
HIS POLITICAL   ORGANISATION.
The Mandika  Empire  was  built  by military  means  and it was  maintained  by a military system. Tome  being a military  leader, his Empire was primarily  a military state. In  1873, he settled at Bisandagu which he developed as the capital of Mandika empire.
His  political  structures  were  paramount   as they  left Mandika  empire  divided  into  162 cantons  with each consisting  of 20 or more  villages.  The empire  was governed  by three parallel  lines of authority  i.e political power, military  and religious  authority. All the three were  controlled   by  the  state  council  headed  by  the  Almami  who  was  Samoure  Toure himself.
Village heads were chosen by traditional  methods.  Their power was limited by the village imam with judicial  rights and Samoure Toure's  appointee  who was responsible  for leading troops  and taking  orders  to the army.  In each village  the heads  were responsible  for the farming and harvesting gardens on behalf of Almami who was the top leader.
Canton  chiefs  were  also  chosen  by traditional   methods  although  they  held  honourary positions.   Real  authority   in  Samoure   Toure's    kingdom   laid  in  the  hands  of  Sofas (professional  military  officers,  administrators  and the Qadhi).  The provinces  in Mandika were  headed  by relatives  or close  friends  of Samoure  Toure  who had 200 or 300 sofas under their command.
The Almami was the supreme political, judicial  and religious  head of the empire as well as its military  commander.  He was assisted  by a state  council  composed  of the provisional heads of three lines of authority  i.e political, religious and military.
In Samourie's   army there was promotion  according  to ability and talent rather than loyalty to the emperor, Education,  Discipline,  dedication  to work and loyalty to the state other than tribe became the basis of promotion.
The army therefore  became  an effective  ground  for training  of political  officers  in which Samoure   Toure  could  reward   and  call  the  best  talented  to  serve  in  the  government   of Mandika  kingdom.  Therefore,  the major aims of Samoure's   administration   policies  was to destroy  tribalism and promote National  loyalty among the Mandika  people.
He  encouraged   the working  together  of men from  different  families  and tried  to abolish distinctive  or differences  between  privileged and  non privileged   class by giving  every one the chance in the army ranks to move from the lower to the highest position  of the state.
The Mandika  unity was based  on Law, way of life and Islam.  Religious  leaders  had their positions   at every  level  alongside  the  political  and  military  lines.  Images,  ancestors  and sacred huts were replaced by Mosques  and Quranic  Schools  after deciding  the use of Islam as a tool for unification  of the Mandika  kingdom.
Taxation  and commerce  role were  all according  to the Islamic  practice.  Judicial  matters were  usually   settled  by  the  village  judge   (Alkari)   in the  Alkari  courts.  The  canton  or provincial  conflicts could be brought  before Samoure Toure and his state council headed by the Almami.
In conclusion  therefore  the personality  of Samoure  Toure had a multitude  of disciplines  as he was an innovator,  a military  genius,  a good administrator,  a preserve  of the old customs, and institutions.  He created the essential  components  of the state, a complex  administration with an appointed  political  service  supported  by an efficient  and loyal army to carry out the will  of  the  central  government.   Most  important  of  him  was  that  he created  a spirit  of national unity which  survived for long until the invasion  of the French men.
Revision  questions.
Assess the career and the achievements  of Samori Toure by  1897 in West Africa .

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