Sundiata Keïta
Sundiata Keïta or Sunjata Keïta (meaning "Lion King"), also Sogolon Djata (* around 1190 in Niani , Mali , † around 1255/1260), was the first ruler of the Kingdom of Mali from around 1230 until his death . He joined Islam and took the title of Mansa , which means king of kings . Sundiata was a member of the Mandinka ethnic group .
Sundiata's life is only known from the oral tradition of the Malian griots . Sundiata is perhaps identical to Mari-Jata , who is named in the writings of the Arab historian Ibn Khaldun as the founder of the Kingdom of Mali. Ibn Khaldun's notes were based on oral reports from informers from the region in the late 14th century.
Three of his sons were successively his successors: Mansa Wali Keïta (approx. 1260–1270); Ouati Keïta (approx. 1270–1274) and Khalifa Keïta (1274/1275). One of his later descendants is the musician Salif Keïta .
Trivia
The Ivorian reggae musician Tiken Jah Fakoly dedicated his song Sundjata to Sundiata Keïta on the 1999 album Cours d'histoire . The comic book writer Will Eisner published a comic about the life of Sundiata in 2002. A campaign is dedicated to him in the 1997 strategy game Age of Empires .
literature
- Rudolf Fischer: Gold, Salt and Slaves. The history of the great Sudan empires of Gana, Mali and Son Ghau. Edition Erdmann, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-522-65010-7 .
- Jan Jansen: Épopée, histoire, société. Le cas de Soundiata. Mali et Guinée. Karthala, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84586-070-6 .
- Jan Jansen: The Sunjata Epic - The Ultimate Version. In: Research in African Literatures, Volume 32, No. 1, 2001, pp. 14-46
- John William Johnson: The Epic of Son-Jara. A West African tradition. Analytical study and translation. Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN 1986, ISBN 0-253-31951-X .
- Djibril Tamsir Niane: Sundiata. An Epic of Old Mali. Longman, London 1979, ISBN 0-582-64259-0 .
- Domenica R. Paterno: The True Lion King of Africa: The Epic History of Sundiata, King of Old Mali. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English, Orlando 1994
See also
Web links
- Internet source collection on Sundiata Keïta and Mansa Musa (en) ( Memento from April 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rudolf Fischer: Gold, Salt and Slaves. 1986, p. 152.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| - |
Ruler of the Mali Empire 1245–1260 |
Mansa Wali Keïta |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sundiata Keïta |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sunjata Keïta; Sogolon Djata |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | King of Mali |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1190 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Niani (Mali Empire) , Mali Empire |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1260 |