The Glorious Mansa Musa Essay - 555 Words

Mansa Musa, the venerable emperor of Mali, famous throughout Africa, revered by his people, was a true renaissance man. Why has history forgotten such a man when it has remembered Julius Caesar, Henry VIII or Napoleon, but not this man? It is because small minded white men only respect other white men, they see all others as inferior. The white dominance of history is obvious when only recently are Asians being recognized, only recently people have heard of men like Genghis Khan or Confucius. Yet Africans have also had great people who need to be recognised and acknowledged. Now is the time to be rid of old prejudice and to acknowledge Mansa Musa, who was not only a great African but a king of one of the most enlightened empires of the†¦show more content†¦In addition, Mansa Musa had a baggage train of 80 camels, each carrying 300 pounds of gold.(Coleman De Graft-Johnson). His caravan, the finest ever seen, was magnificent. He did not just bring his riches to spend, but freely gave it away. Word of his generosity spread, wherever he traveled throughout. Mansa Musa became a legend in the eyes of the people, a man so rich, but generous, powerful, yet humble, and intelligent, but not aloof. Mansa Musa had a vision of making Timbuktu the educational center of Africa. While on his hajj he collected the greatest scholars in Africa. He convinced some of the of the finest minds of Cairo to come, for Mali would only have the best. The mosque of Sankore became the primary â€Å"teaching centre and laid the foundations of the University of Sankore† (Coleman De Graft-Johnson). With Musa’s patronage the University of Sankore became one of the finest universities of the time. The university unlike European universities at the time had no central administration or required courses, instead students focused on specific topics such as religious studies, law and literature(Khiar, Zulkifi). Because of the University of Sankore today colleges and universities allow people to major in a certain field. Under Mansa Musa, Mali became the the largest and one of the most renown kingdoms in Africa. Gold was abundant and the empire was prosperous; what more could one ask for? Though as it turns out fame and prosperity can be fleeting. The empireShow MoreRelatedThe Transformation Of The Mali Empire1527 Words   |  7 Pagesthis time period education and learning were the key to success. This was mainly because many people at this time were not educated. Thus, the percentage of people who were educated had an even greater advantage. As Stephen Agyepong states in a Glorious Age in Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, the Story of Three Great African Empires, â€Å"The divide between the educated and the uneducated was vastly greater during the African civilization times rather than the divide between the educated and uneducatedRead MoreCatal Hyuk2725 Words   |  11 Pages Sultanate of Rum China Byzantine Empire Karkorum Samerkand Constantinople Baghdad Moscow CHAPTER 19: States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa IDENTITIES: Bantu Migrations Stateless Society Sundiata Mansa Musa Ibn Battuta Kinship Groups Age Groups Creator god Cotton Sugar Cane MAPS: Ife Benin Kongo Niger River Senegal River Congo/Zaire River Sahara The sahel Ghana Mali Jenne Timbuktu Gao CHAPTER