A Most Influential Leader in Africa, Samori Ture

Samori Ture was one of the most influential leaders in Africa, especially in his revolutionary work against European colonization. He lived in the Malinke lands of West Africa, an area that includes modern-day countries of Mali, Ghana, and Guinea. Throughout his youth, he worked in the trading industry alongside his parents. When he was 20 years old, his mother was captured in a slave raid, and he offered to serve in the army of her captor in exchange for the release of his mother. Samori joined the army as a low-level soldier, but he quickly climbed the ranks and became a captain due to his incredible military skill. He had gained a vast knowledge of weaponry and warfare by the time he and his mother were released.

Once Samori became free again, he began to see how disorganized the Malinke tribal groups were. He wanted to organize the Malinke people into one large nation, and he began to gain the support of many Malinke chiefs who had also had aspirations for unity. Samori also used his religion of fundamentalist Islam to his advantage to create this united state, encouraging Islamic extremism. He strived for the expulsion of all non-Muslims in his empire, and a Muslim education for all of his citizens. Between the years 1852 and 1882, Samori Ture used violence, religion, and persuasion to create and vastly expand the Mandinka Empire, a nation powerful enough to rival European colonists.

During the late 1800s, many European countries sought to colonize nations in Africa. Most were looking for raw materials to use in the factories that powered the Industrial Revolution, as well as to compete with other European nations and prevent them from obtaining resources. For these reasons, in the 1800s the French attempted to spread their influence into Western Africa, including the lands occupied by Samori Ture. They wished to take part in Mandinka’s extremely profitable trade of natural resources such as gold, as well as gum, peanuts, and slaves.

The French were desperate to colonize Africa after the Depression of 1873, which left them with a debilitating debt and a crippled economy. They also had other interests on the side, such as spreading Christianity and blocking British expansion into the area. To stop the British from reaching the Middle Niger Valley and the Upper Senegal Valley, the French governor, Louis Brière de l’Isle, authorized the construction of a railroad to warn that France was expanding into that area.