Sundiata Keita: The Lion King of Mali

Sundiata Keita was the founder of the Mali Empire. Prior to this, Sundiata was the king / chief of a small, obscure Mandinka tribe within the Ghana Empire. With the decline of the Ghana Empire during the 13th century AD, Sundiata seized the opportunity to increase his power, and eventually subdued the Ghana Empire, turning it into one of his vassals. Much of what we know about Sundiata’s life is derived from oral tradition, in particular one that is known as the Epic of Sundiata. Additionally, written evidence about this ruler can be found in the writings of several Muslim travelers who visited Mali.

The Buffalo Woman

According to the Epic of Sundiata, the founder of the Mali Empire was the son of a king / chief by the name of Maghan Kon Fatta (known also as Frako Mahgan Keigu, meaning ‘Maghan the Handsome’), and his second wife, Sogolon Kedjou. Maghan’s territory is said to have been located in the upper reaches of the Niger River, in the north-western corner of the country known today as Guinea. In the epic, a prophecy was made which foretold the greatness that would be achieved by Maghan’s descendants and the Mali Empire.

For this to be fulfilled, however, Maghan had to marry a woman named Sogolon. According to the epic, the ‘Buffalo Woman’ is described as such, “She is ugly, she is hideous, she bears on her back a disfiguring hump. Her monstrous eyes seem to have been merely laid on her face,” Maghan encountered Sogolon when she was brought by two young hunters to his court. Sogolon was supposed to marry one of the hunters, though in the end, the hunters decided to offer Sogolon to Maghan. As he hoped to fulfil the prophecy, the king married Sogolon.