Page 123 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

E m p i r E s o f m E d i E v a l w E s t a f r i c a

A World Famous Arma

the musician ali farka touré (1939–2006) ing Timbuktu (which he made with ameri-
was an arma, a descendant of the moroc- can musician ry cooder) won a Grammy
cans who conquered songhay in 1591. award. after releasing the album Niafunké
Farka is a nickname that means “donkey”— in 1999, ali went on perform around the
a symbol of physical strength and endur- world. He then settled down on his farm
ance. ali got that name because he was the near Niafunké to grow rice and fruit.
10th child of his parents, but was the first from that time on, ali was reluctant to
one to live beyond childhood. His father leave his farm. But in 2005 he won his sec-
was killed fighting in the french army in ond Grammy with the album In the Heart
world war ii. after the war, the family set- of the Moon (with the famous malian kora
tled in Niafunké, a Niger delta town about player toumani diabaté). ali’s last album,
150 miles south of timbuktu. Savane, was released after his death in 2006
Beginning in 1976, ali farka touré and received another Grammy nomination
recorded 17 albums. in 1994, the album Talk- for Best contemporary world music album.

Songhay and Morocco. The Songhay reaction to Moroccan efforts to
take over Taghaza varied from time to time. Apparently, it depended
on whether or not the Askia was inclined to go to war. Personal rela-
tions between the Askias of Songhay and the sultans of Morocco
were also complicated, depending on the individual personalities and
circumstances.
In 1578, a new Moroccan ruler, Mulay Ahmad al-Dhahabi, decided
he wanted to control the Taghaza salt mines. He sent Askia Daud a
message saying that he must hand over one year’s taxes collected from
Taghaza production. Instead, the Askia sent the sultan far more than he
asked for: 10,000 mithqals of gold as a goodwill gift. Mulay Ahmad was
so astonished at Daud’s generosity that a friendship developed between
them. Four years later, when Mulay Ahmad heard of the death of Askia
Daud, he was greatly saddened and officially went into mourning.
In 1586, a new ruler of Morocco, Ahmad al-Hashimi, considered
invading Songhay. To test the wealth and strength of the empire,
he sent a spy with expensive gifts for Askia al-Hajj. The Askia was

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