Mali means "hippopotamus" or "where the king resides". Mali began as
one of the districts in the Kingdom of Ghana. Around 1230 CE, Ghana collapsed
and Mali took over. In time, they grew to be larger than Ghana.
The new king, Sundiata, was young and strong and courageous. He was
also very clever. He was a very good king. He kept the drums and storytellers
busy with tales of his achievements and accomplishments.
The first thing he did was to get trade going again. During the war
with Ghana, trade had just about disappeared. This had to be fixed. Trade
was the way to wealth and he knew it. He sent messengers out across Africa
saying, "The invaders are gone! Let us open up the trade routes!" And they
did. Muslim merchants and scholars began to come to Mali.
Sundiata the Hero was soon nicknamed the Lion King. He was an able leader.
He built a strong military to protect the routes. He had his army clear farmland
to help the people get back on their feet. He introduced cotton. He was a
Muslim. He believed in one god - Allah. But he offered his people religious
freedom. He allowed his people to worship many gods in the tradition African
way. He allowed slaves to work for their freedom and to become an important
part of the new Kingdom of Mali. If you were bright and capable and hard
working and honest, he wanted you on his team. He took a kingdom and made
it an empire. He ruled for 25 years, and his people loved him.
Ancient African
Kingdom of Mali 