From the Seed to the Fruit

  From the Seed to the Fruit

In 2023, Bagadadji, a neighbourhood in Bamako, the capital of  Mali, celebrated its hundred year anniversary. This is the neighbourhood where my family has been living for years.  A big celebration took place with a lot of activities and the story of my family was told. Since that day, a huge excitement has been created in my mind to find out more about it. Everything started with Talmahamane Toure, also known as Sidi Mohamad Ben Sallah. Talmahamane was a merchant and traveled from city to city. During his travels, he used to invite the population that he met to Islam. Originally from Tuat, which is actually located in Algeria, he is the first of my family’s ancestors who came to Mali in the eighteenth century. Today, my cousins, my siblings and I are the tenth or eleventh generation in Bamako. Being the one who brought Islam to Bamako, the story of Talmahamane continues to give my family an important place in the city.

In Bamako, three families share the title of founder of the city. There are the Niares, Toures and Draves. When Sidi Mohamad Ben Sallah arrived in Bamako, there was only the Niares family. They were animists, which refers to people who believe that objects and all natural things such as plants and animals have spirit. Thus, Talmahamane took the initiative to tell them about Islam. Step by step, a peaceful and progressive conversion of Niares into the Muslim religion took place. Talmahamane managed the islamic education of children and all new Muslims. Being Muslims, it is not possible to talk about Islam without prayers, and it is not possible to talk about prayers without mosques.  Indeed, Talmahamane built the first mosque in an animist land but more important the first mosque in the history of Bamako. Now, there are a lot of mosques in the city. The management of the Grand Mosque of Bamako, which is located in Bagadadji, goes to my family. It is the sign of truth that the Malian government has for the Toures in that domain. My family is one of the references in the Malian social life. 

Indeed, my family has played a role in religious and civic matters in Mali. Those are either used to clarify or to solve issues in the country. In a religious way, between the three founding families, the Draves and my family are the ones who are considered to know the most  about the subject. If someone needs to be advised and he goes to the Niares, they will either guide them to  the Draves or my family. Moreover, politicians frequently get advice from my family when there are tensions in the political life of the country,  and my family  has handled many cases. In 2020, Malians were unhappy with the President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and then he decided to come to Bagadadji. They had discussions with our family representatives about whose role it was to find a solution  and  convince the opposition to stop the manifesto. People come to get advice from my family because they know our history and they believe that solutions can be found to their problems.

Even after centuries have passed, my family is still living by following Talmahamane’s steps. All the privileges that my family has today are only because Sid Mohamad Ben Sallah came to Bamako and we are grateful. By remembering the beginning of everything, we give the opportunity to our traditions to continue to be alive and to the new generation to go back to their roots. To show that, during events such weddings and births, they are usually celebrated at Talmahame’s mosque where he is buried. Additionally, my family members pursue the traditions that Talmahamane and his family left behind and they have been passed down  from generation to generation. For the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, Sidi Mohamad Ben Sallah initiated a reading of the Quran, the religious text of Islam, during the twelve first nights at his mosque, and the exchanges of meals with the Draves’ family. Year after year, at the same event, my family practices this tradition. 

Just like a seed that develops its roots, goes through multiple steps to become a plant and then to produce fruits, my family also went through several steps before having that position in the Malian society. It all started with Sidi Mohamad Ben Sallah, and it still continues with his descendants. His arrival in Bamako had influenced the religious and social life of the city and the country, and gave my family responsibilities. Pursuing his traditions and celebrating big events in his mosque are a sign of gratitude from my family to Talmahamane. By learning more about my ancestors, I realized that regardless of where people end up, they all must always remember their origins.