Two men from the Bozo tribe inspecting the traditional adobe mosque in a fishing village on the banks of the Dagua Womina. Mali, West Africa
Two men inspecting the mosque in a poor fishing village on the banks of the River NIger. Gagua Womina. Mali. West Africa. The Mandinka, Malinke (also known as Mandinko, Mandingo or Mandinga -- as this people group is referenced in nearly all Capoeira Lore reaching back to West Africa as the 'Musical Hunters.' ) are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million (the other 3 major ethnic groups in the region being the non-related Fula, Hausa and Songhai). They belong to the larger Mandé group of peoples. They are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power under the rule of the great Mandinka king Sundiata Keita. The Mandinka in turn belong to West Africa's largest ethnolinguistic group, the Mandé, who account for more than twenty million people (including the Dyula, Bozo, Bissa and Bambara). Today, over 99% of Mandinka in Africa are Muslim.[1][2] The Mandinka live primarily in West Africa, particularly in the Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Mauritania and even small communities in the central African nation of Chad. Although widespread, the Mandinka do not form the largest ethnic group in any of the countries in which they live except the Gambia. Most Mandinkas live in family-related compounds in traditional rural villages. Mandinka villages are fairly autonomous and self-ruled, being led by a chief and group of elders. Mandinkas live in an oral society. Learning is traditionally done through stories, songs and proverbs. Originally from Mali, the Mandinka gained their independence from previous empires in the thirteenth century, and founded an empire which stretched across West Africa. They migrated west from the Niger River in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest.
Size: 5238px × 3450px
Location: Dagua Womina, Mali
Photo credit: © Neil Cooper / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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