Kangaba is a town,
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
, and seat of the
Kangaba Cercle in the
Koulikoro Region
Koulikoro Region ( Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kulikoro Dineja) is a region in western Mali. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km2. Its capital is the city of Koulikoro.
Geography
The ...
of south-western
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
.
Kangaba is believed to have been founded in 1050 by
Mandingo tribesmen and was a vassal state of the
Ghana Empire
The Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadou ( ar, غانا) or Awkar, was a West African empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali that existed from c. 300 until 1100. The Empire was founded by the Soninke people, an ...
.
Once known as Kaba, the area was a core province of the
Mali Empire.
After winning the
Battle of Kirina in 1235,
Sundiata Keita proclaimed the Manden Charter, also known as the
Kouroukan Fouga after the field near Kangaba where it was created, perhaps the oldest constitution in the world. Ceremonies are still held in the town to honor the ancient traditions and promote a message of peace and fraternity.
The Kamablon (
fr) is a sacred circular mudbrick building with a conical roof in the ''bara'', or large public square, at the center of town, built in 1653. The oldest of its kind in the Manden cultural zone, its septennial re-roofing ceremony brings together the traditional castes, founding dynasties of the Mali Empire, and
griots
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
who recite the oral history and tradition of the region. This ceremony was listed on the
in 2009.
The relationship between Kangaba and the Keita clan is disputed. Some sources claim that the town was the boyhood home of Sundiata Keita and the first capital of the Mali Empire. The Keitas likely, however, only established a base there after the decline of the larger empire, and it thus became associated in popular imagination with the original legend.
[Green, Kathryn L. “‘Mande Kaba," the Capital of Mali: A Recent Invention?” History in Africa, vol. 18, 1991, pp. 127–135. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3172058. Accessed 5 Feb. 2021.]
Capitals of the state of Kangaba (1050-1237)
* Kiki (1050-1090)
* Dodu (1090-1200)
* Kangaba (1200-1237)
List of Kings of Kangaba
Names and Dates taken from John Stewart's ''African States and Rulers'' (2005).
* Taraore (c. 1050-1090)
* Baraonendana (c. 1090-1150)
* Hamama (c. 1150-1190)
* Di Jigi Bilali (c. 1190-1200)
* Keita Nari fa Majan (c. 1200-1218)
* Danagaram Tumo (c. 1218-1228)
* ''Soninke rule'' (1228-1230)
* Mari Jata I (also known as
Sundiata Keita) (1230-c.1237)
References
Capitals of former nations
Communes of Koulikoro Region
Lists of African rulers
{{Koulikoro-geo-stub