Characters
Sosso Balla
Soumaoro's son, Sosso Balla leads his father's troops. When the sorcerer king
flees at the battle of Krina, Sosso Balla is Sundiata's main captive.
Sassouma Berete
Maghan Kon Fatta's first wife, Sassouma Berete expects her son to become the
next king of Mali. When prophets foretell the marriage of the king and Sogolon
and the birth of Sundiata, Sassouma is consumed with jealousy that haunts her
throughout the epic. She taunts Sogolon when her son cannot walk, thus
provoking Sundiata to raise himself to his feet to avenge his mother's honor.
Plotting his death, she hires witches to kill him, but they are won over to his
side because of his inherent goodness.
Knowing that his family is in danger, Sundiata flees from the intrigues of Sassouma, but she continues to plague him. Sending sums of money to his hosts, she convinces them either to turn him away or try to kill him. In the end, however, Sassouma's plotting only serves to fulfill Sundiata's destiny, as the travels and travails she forces upon him cause him to develop into a strong, wise, cautious, and judicious person and mighty warrior.
Manding Bory
Manding Bory, son of Namandje, is Sundiata's step- or half-brother and best
friend. The two boys grow up together, inseparable, and when Sogolon and her
family go into exile, Manding Bory accompanies them. Later in life, when
Sundiata becomes the commander of his own troops, he appoints Manding Bory as
the head of his rear guard. Manding Bory continues to be Sundiata's most
important general under the new Empire of Mali once Sundiata has taken the
throne of his homeland, and he receives many honors in return for his
services.
Manding Boukari
See Manding Bory.
Buffalo of Do
When a buffalo terrorizes the countryside of Do, the king puts a bounty on its
head. Many hunters try to kill the buffalo, and are killed in the process.
Nonetheless, the hunters, Oulamba and Oulani, decide to try their hand at the
task. On the trail of the buffalo, Oulamba sees an old woman lamenting her
hunger and begging for food, and he responds by sharing his food with her. She
is in fact the Buffalo of Do in human form. Touched by his generosity, she
tells him the magical method of killing her. In return, the Buffalo of Do asks
that the hunter choose Sogolon Kedjou, her wraith, as his reward.
Buffalo Woman
See Sogolon Kedjou.
Soumaba Cisse
The king of Ghana welcomes Sundiata and his family into his court for a year
after they flee Mali. Hospitable to his guests, he treats the children like
princes and princesses of his own country. When Sogolon falls ill in Ghana, the
family must leave for the more healthful climate of Mema. The generosity and
kindness of Soumaba Cisse ensure goodwill for his people when Sundiata becomes
a great ruler.
Do Mansa-Gnemo Diarra
Do Mansa-Gnemo Diarra is the king of the land of Do. When he grants the ugly
hunchbacked woman Sogolon Kedjou as the prize to the hunters who kill the
buffalo ravaging his lands, he starts the cycle of events that bring Sundiata's
parents together. The people of Do join Sundiata in defeating the sorcerer-king
Soumaoro.
King Gnemo Diarra
See Do Mansa-Gnemo Diarra.
Manding Diara
See Sundiata.
Sogolon Djamarou
Sundiata's youngest sister, Sogolon Djamarou goes into exile with her family
when her mother, Sogolon Kedjou, fears that Sundiata is in danger from the
plotting of the king's first wife.
Djata
See Sundiata.
Mori Djata
See Sundiata.
Nare Maghan Djata
See Sundiata.
Sogolon Djata
See Sundiata.
Maghan Kon Fatta
(This entire section contains 2127 words.)
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Maghan Kon Fatta
Sundiata's father, Maghan Kon Fatta, is known for his great physical
attractiveness and his hunting skills. He is also considered to be a wise and
kind ruler. Already married, he expects his first son, Dankaran Touman, to be
his heir until the day that a soothsaying hunter tells him that another son,
not yet born, had been foreseen to rule Mali. From this point on, Maghan Kon
Fatta struggles between following that which was foretold and that which
appears on the surface to be the natural way of things.
When he sees the ugly hunchbacked woman Sogolon, he can hardly believe that he is to marry her, yet he fulfills the prophecy by their union. Even when their son, Sundiata, is born lame, Maghan Kon Fatta complies with the soothsayer and declares the child to be his heir. Each decision is difficult for Maghan Kon Fatta, but the fact that he follows the advice of the soothsayers and village wise men, rather than making the choices that his pride dictates, is held to be indicative of his wisdom and goodness as a ruler.
Gnankouman Doua
Griot to King Maghan Kon Fatta, Gnankouman Doua often advises the king when he
must make important decisions. It is the griot who encourages the Hunter of
Sangaran to reveal the prophecy about the king's future bride, Sogolon.
Reminding the king of his duty to follow the prophecy of the hunter, Gnankouman
Doua helps fulfill Sundiata's destiny. Gnankouman Doua's son, Balla Fasseke,
continues his father's line, becoming griot for Sundiata.
Balla Fasseke
Given to Sundiata by his father, Balla Fasseke is Sundiata's griot and the son
of King Maghan Kon Fatta's griot Gnankouman Doua. Sundiata's half-brother
Dankaran Touman sends Balla Fasseke to the court of the sorcerer-king Soumaoro.
Having learned the secrets of Soumaoro's chamber of fetishes, Balla Fasseke,
along with Nana Triban, advises Sundiata on the magic required to drain the
sorcerer king's powers. Because he is instrumental in Sundiata's victory over
Soumaoro, and the praise songs he sings about Sundiata, Balla Fasseke ensures
that Sundiata's descendants, the Keita, will always chose their griots from his
line, the Kouyate. Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate, who told the version of the epic
that was transcribed by D. T. Niane, claims descent from Balla Fasseke.
Hunter from Sangaran
The Hunter from Sangaran shows up at Maghan Kon Fatta's court one day to give
the king a portion of his catches, as custom dictates. Sangaran hunters were
known to be great soothsayers, so Maghan Kon Fatta and his griot ask him to
tell about the future of Mali. Divining with cowry shells, the hunter is the
first to tell the king about Sogolon, her destined marriage with the king, and
the remarkable destiny in store for the son they will have together.
Fran Kamara
Son of the King of Tabon, Fran Kamara grows up in the court of King Maghan Kon
Fatta together with Sundiata. When Sundiata's family flees Mali, they travel
first to Tabon, but Fran Kamara's elderly father fears retribution from
Sassouma Berete and her son Dankaran Touman and insists that the family stay
only briefly before moving on. Once his father has died, Fran Kamara becomes an
ally of Sundiata in his battle with Soumaoro.
Soumaoro Kante
The evil sorcerer-king Soumaoro subjugates the surrounding peoples and reigns
over them. His strength derives from the powers of darkness. When he
appropriates both Sundiata's griot and his nephew's wife, he angers these two
warriors enough to encourage them to join forces to defeat him at the battle of
Krina.
Sogolon Kedjou
A hunchback, the ugly Sogolon is an unlikely choice as bride by the successful
hunters of the Buffalo of Do. However, they promised the old woman who revealed
the secret of hunting the buffalo to select Sogolon. Unable to consummate a
sexual relationship with her, because she draws on the strength of the buffalo
which she embodies to fight them off, the hunters give Sogolon to the king of
Mali, thus fulfilling the destiny prophesied by the hunter/soothsayer of
Sangaran. The second wife of the king, Sogolon is mocked by the king's first
wife when her son Sundiata turns out to be crippled. When Sogolon finally
laments her son's condition in front of him, Sundiata finds within himself the
strength and courage to walk. Sogolon flees with her family after the king's
death to protect her son and eventually dies in exile.
Frako Maghan Keigu
See Maghan Kon Fatta.
King of Ghana
See Soumaba Cisse.
King of Mali
See Maghan Kon Fatta.
King of Mema
See Mansa Tounkara.
King of Sosso
See Soumaoro Kante.
Sogolon Kondouto
See Sogolon Kedjou.
Mansa Konkon
The first host of Sogolon and her family, Mansa Konkon welcomes the exiles from
Mali at the royal court of Djedba until Sassouma Berete bribes him to kill
Sundiata. Mansa Konkon challenges Sundiata to a word game called wori, with the
stakes being death to Sundiata if he loses. Sundiata, aware of the bribe, wins
the game in revealing the king's treachery. Sundiata's life is spared, but he
and his family must once again flee.
Fakoli Koroma
Fakoli is Soumaoro's nephew and right-hand man until Soumaoro steals his wife.
This so enrages Fakoli that he begins the revolt against the tyrant. Sundiata
joins forces with this mighty warrior to defeat Soumaoro at Krina.
Lion of Mali
See Sundiata.
Maghan the handsome
See Maghan Kon Fatta.
Nare Maghan
See Maghan Kon Fatta.
Namandje
Namandje is the third wife of Sundiata's father, King Maghan Kon Fatta. In
sharp contrast to Sogolon, Namandje's beauty is legendary. Namandje's son,
Manding Bory, becomes Sundiata's best friend.
the old woman
See Buffalo of Do.
Sogolon Kolonkan
Sogolon Kolonkan is Sundiata's oldest sister. While her family is in exile in
Mema, it is Kolonkan who recognizes the baobab leaves from Mali in the market.
Knowing that they are not locally available, she speaks with the woman selling
them and learns that envoys from Mali have come searching for her brother
Sundiata.
Oulamba
One of the two brothers who hunt and kill the Buffalo of Do. Their kindness to
an old woman unlocks the secret of killing the buffalo. In return for the
knowledge she gives them, they agree to select Sogolon as their bounty. Unable
to possess Sogolon sexually, Oulamba gives her to the king of Mali, Maghan Kon
Fatta, forming the union that will produce the great king Sundiata.
Oulani
One of the two brothers who hunt and kill the Buffalo of Do and bestow Sogolon
on King Maghan kon Fatta.
Sogo Simbon Salaba
See Sundiata.
Sundiata
Sundiata begins his life as an unlikely hero. Although soothsayers have
predicted great things for this child, his body is crippled from birth and by
the age of seven he has still not learned to walk. He was conceived in the
union of the Buffalo Woman with the Lion King. Fortune tellers say that he will
become the greatest ruler Mali has ever known. His mother's rival attempts to
change his destiny and keep her son on the throne of Mali, but as the story
shows, the rightful ruler of the Malinke eventually triumphs. Despite
hardships, misfortune and physical infirmity, Sundiata grows to be the mighty
warrior predicted by the prophets, saving his people from a tyrant.
Dankaran Touman
Dankaran Touman, son of Sassouma Berete, is Maghan Kon Fatta's first son and
the heir to the throne before the birth of Sundiata. Even though the conflict
between Dankaran Touman and Sundiata over the throne causes much hardship for
Sundiata and his family, Dankaran Touman never proves himself to be a bad
person. He would have been content to let Sundiata take his place as heir, but
Dankaran's mother prods and goads him into an antagonistic relationship with
his stepbrother. He proves to be a coward rather than a scoundrel, subjugating
himself to the evil sorcerer king, Soumaoro, and fleeing from conflict when his
attempt to revolt against Soumaoro meets with failure.
Mansa Tounkara
The king of Mema hosts Sundiata and his family during their exile from Mali
after they have been forced to leave several other courts due to the intrigues
of Sassouma Berete. Impressed by Sundiata's courage, he makes Sundiata his heir
and main general. When Sundiata decides to return to his people and try to free
them from the tyranny of Soumaoro, the king grows angry and even refuses to let
Sundiata bury his mother in his land. Tounkara and Sundiata are later
reconciled. Tounkara is an ally during the fight with Soumauro, and is rewarded
once Sundiata becomes ruler of Mali.
Nana Triban
Nana Triban is the daughter of Maghan Kon Fatta's first wife Sassouma Berete
and the sister of Dankaran Touman. Because of the enmity between Sogolon and
Sassouma, one would expect Nana Triban to join with her family in hating
Sundiata. At an important moment, however, Nana Triban sides with Sundiata and
is crucial in helping him overcome the sorcerer king, Soumaoro. Nana Triban had
been given to Soumaoro as a wife by her brother during his rule of Mali. She
helps Sundiata overcome the evil sorcerer king by telling him how to overcome
Soumaoro's powers.