Guimbi, sometimes Guimbé, Ouattara (1836–1919) was a West African ruler and military leader in what today is the country of

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

. Ouattara was the eldest daughter of Diori Ouattara and Makogo Ouattara. Her father died when she was three, and he was succeeded by her younger brother. By the age of 15, Ouattara had been married and widowed three times. She was active in diplomacy with European explorers, receiving

Louis-Gustave Binger Louis-Gustave Binger (; 14 October 1856 – 10 November 1936) was a French officer and explorer who claimed the Côte d'Ivoire for France. Binger was born at Strasbourg in the Bas-Rhin . In 1887 he traveled from Senegal up to the Niger River, a ...

François Crozat François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King o ...

, and

Parfait-Louis Monteil Parfait-Louis Monteil (1855 – 29 September 1925) was a French colonial military officer and explorer who made an epic journey in West Africa between 1890 and 1892, travelling east from Senegal to Lake Chad, and then north across the Sahara to T ...

. She participated in a number of military campaigns throughout her career, notably working with Samori Ture, a king from Guinea. She prevented Ture from destroying her people by plying him with gifts and offering him a magic potion. Ouattara is still remembered today in Bobo-Dioulasso, where both a maternity hospital and a professional school bear her name. Her mausoleum, a modern structure, can also be visited.

Ouattara and Samori Ture

Samori Ture threatened to destroy Ouattara and her kingdom because they shared a homeland with his French enemy Tiéfo. Tiéfo and his kingdom had separated themselves from Ouattara and her people because of religious differences. Ouattara visited Ture to conduct peace negotiations; she brought gifts and added what was described as "a magic potion" to the milk he drank. They spoke of peace and their common enemy, the Tiéfo people, and Ture agreed to an alliance. Together they put down the rebellious Tiéfo; Ouattara was with him when his forces destroyed Noumoudara, and she remained a powerful influence in

Bobo-Dioulasso Bobo-Dioulasso is a city in Burkina Faso with a population of 904,920 (); it is the second-largest city in the country, after Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital. The name means "home of the Bobo-Dioula". The local Bobo-speaking population (re ...

throughout the following years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouattara, Guimbi 1836 births 1919 deaths People from Bobo-Dioulasso 19th-century rulers in Africa 20th-century rulers in Africa Women rulers in Africa Burkinabé royalty