After the ambitious, Prince Wali or Uli seized the throne for himself in 1255 he began a campaign of territorial expansion in West Africa and significantly increased the agricultural production. On an economic and political level, Uli made a precedent act of making it to the Hajj in Mecca but during his return he was killed by the Sahara Nomads of the desert (desert bandits). Mansa Wali had no blood heirs, leaving the throne to be fought over by his adopted brothers. During the ensuing power struggle between the brothers, Ouati (Wati) seized the throne sidelining Manding Bory, Sundiata’s brother once again.
Mansa Wati was an ambitious king like his step brother Wali. After constant battles with his brother Khalifa, Mansa Wati was very repugnant toward him, so Khalifa moved out of Niani. Mansa Wati was impiety with the Islam religion and with their known traditional religion. He was just flabbergasted toward the throne and lived a frolicked lifestyle causing him to be an inept king, who the people despised. Through all his revelry it causes him a short stay as king. He died in result of the revelry and reigned from 1270-1274 and left the empire in ruins. Khalifa heard about his brother’s death and rapidly move to seize the throne before another Keita clan claimed it.
Mansa Khalifa were now in control, and he was a careless king. Him and his brother Wati fought side by side in constant battles with their biological father who was one of Sundiata’s great generals. They were good at war, but the hierarchy were an offset in their lives. His rule was remembered as the worse of all the emperors. He was a roguery of a man that climbed on the roof of his palace and shot arrows at passerby for sport. During his reign the recent conquered Songhai kingdom broke away from Mali and wouldn’t return until the Mansa Musa era. The intolerable behavior of Mansa Khalifa Keita was ended by the Gbara, the Great Assembly in charge of counseling the Mansa. Mansa Khalifa was assassinated within a year of his reign from 1274- 1275, and replaced by Sundiata’s aging brother Manding Bory (alias Abubakari Keita I), whom was long overdue, but because of the desperate, ambitious, and foolish young princes, Abubakari I, were sidelined.
Abubakari Keita I became the new Mansa of the Keita dynasty. He was the fifth Mansa (Emperor) of the Mali Empire, reigning from 1275-1285. He was born to Namandje, the third wife of Nare Maghan Konate Keita. He served as kankoro sigui (vizier and second in command) to Sundiata. Mansa Abubakari I had to rebuild Mali and slowly return its prominence in West Africa after five years of civil war and economic declination by Mansa Wati and Mansa Khalifa. And after ten years of reigning as Mansa Abu Bakr I, old age creeped in hindering his ability to continue as Mansa, which caused a freed slave and General Sakura (Sakoura) to usurp the throne in 1285.
Mansa Sakoura seized the throne by force and reigned from 1285-1300. He was the sixth mansa of the Mali Empire. Born as a slave but later freed and served as a general for Sundiata Keita. Sakura had his eyes on the throne through five mansas and finally saw the opportunity to overthrow the throne by Mansa Abubakari old age and weakness. Mansa Sakura was a powerful warrior that made many conquests during his reign. He became political, economic, and military forceful in Western Sudan. But regardless of the powerful force he became, while journeying to Mecca to a hajj, he was ambushed and killed in Dijibouti by the Danakil warriors, and robbed of his gold. In 1300, Sundiata’s nephew Gao succeeded the throne and the Keita dynasty were restored.
Mansa Gao Keita was a simple laureate that grew up in the royal palace and were placed by the Gbara Federation to appoint another Keita on the throne. He continued to present the order of the political, economic, and the military force as usual. He did no special exploits but kept order amongst the people. He was one of the two sons of Kolonkan, sister of Sundiata Keita. He drowned in the Niger River after five years of reigning 1300-1305. His son Mohammed Ibn Gao succeeded the throne. Mohammed Ibn Gao ran the throne much like his father and reigned the same length of time from 1305-1310 before his death. Following him was his uncle Abubakari II.
CHAPTER II-The Voyager King
Mansa Abubakari Keita II, known by some the ‘Voyager King’ took over the throne in the 14th century in 1310. He was the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire that succeeded his nephew Mohammed Ibn Gao and preceded his first cousin Mansa Musa. Most Arab historians like Chihab Al-Umari abbreviated and documented his name as Abu Bakr II. In some occasions, I may do the same. Abu Bakr II was one of two sons of Kolonkan, sister of founding emperor Sundiata Keita.
He ran a tight kingdom during his reign because he was very discipline and loved order. He kept violence down to a low, making sure there were safety for the traders that arrived daily. He promised himself that peace amongst the people would assure correct stewardship in the salt mines, the gold mines and the crop fields, and that the people would remain creative in their crafts. Abu Bakr II patterned after his uncle, the great warrior, known as the Lion King, Sundiata Keita, by riding from provinces and states on the great Arabian Stallion built for a champion. He and his army would ride far as the twelve regions that he controlled from Gao to Jenne, along the Niger River, and to Taghaza.
Between the 13th to the 14th century Mali were the center of excellence in Abubakari time, and Timbuktu would grow to have the second oldest University of its time, with students numbering more than that of the University of New York. Courses such as mathematics, geography, history, astronomy, chemistry as well as Islamic studies flourished. Mali were the center for trade, and the exact spot to meet all who made the world spin.
By talking with Egyptian astrologers and ship builders, Abu Bakr II mind accelerated to a high capacity, and he became very curious of the navigations and exploration of the great sea, called the Atlantic Sea, and its limitations of another bank or land at the end of the great waters, much like the Niger River.
Mansa Abu Bakr Keita II commanded Egyptian builders along with his Malian craftsmen to build two hundred ships prepared for the tough sails. One hundred ships filled with men and one hundred filled with supplies, provisions, and gold. Mansa Abu was excited about the adventurous journey and was compelled to know the outcome of it. So, he demanded the captain of the voyage to report back with him in two years. Every morning since the departure of the ships Mansa Abu went down to the coast of Senegambia, where the ships were built and sailed out to appease his obsession of knowledge. Finally, one of the ships of the two hundred ships returned toward the end of the year. The captain leading the returned ship reported to Mansa Abu the tragedy that occurred during the middle of their journey.
The captain gasped for air in a panicking and despairing voice, “Mansa Abu Bakr we were doing fine until we ran into a wild, violent current that turned the ships around and around until it created a suction. All the ships continued in that same path until they all disappeared. I refuse to do the same, so I turned around.”
Mansa Abu rubbed his chin in deep concentration and welcomed the crew in their return, and offered them comfort. His curiosity grew stronger and stronger until he became obsessed with learning as much as he could about the currents of the four winds from the four corners of the earth. Scientifically, the Atlantic is governed by two main currents in Abu Bakr’s region that remains the same irrespectively of month or season. These are the Canary Current and the Guinea Current, and they are powerful enough to pull a ship to the Americas, while cohering with the South and North Equatorial Currents. Some of the griots called the Mansa Abu Bakr ‘The Mariner Nautical Navigator of Mali,’ and some called him ‘The Voyager King.’ Either way the griots thought that he was ludicrous for casting the throne away for a hypothesis idea. He gave up all power and gold to pursue knowledge and discovery.
Abu Bakr II called his young cousin, Musa Keita, who was presiding as the deputy vizier of the throne to his side to express his dream to him.
“Cousin, do you possess any dreams in the reservoir of your inner being?”
“Yes, cousin Abu, I’ve always wanted