his family’s occupation early on. In the 1850s, he enrolled in the military forces at Madina (present-day Mali) to liberate his mother,
SAMORI TOURE lived 1830-1900 Warrior king, empire builder and hero of the resistance against the French-colonization of West Africa during the 19th century. Samori Touré was born around 1830 in the Milo River Valley in present-day Guinea. His father was a trader, leading Touré to follow his family’s occupation early on. In the 1850s, he enrolled in the military forces at Madina (present-day Mali) to liberate his mother, who was a member of the Malinké ethnic group, captured during a raid. He subsequently acquired military skills during various campaigns he undertook for local chiefs before starting his own career. Touré became a well-known leader, training and commanding a growing and disciplined army. He expanded his conquests, building a united empire called Mandinka. By 1874, he declared himself Faama (monarch), and established the capital of his kingdom at Bisandugu in present-day Gambia. In the 1880s, the empire expanded from Bamako, Mali, in the north, to the frontier...