Mali's political and cultural geography

这是一篇人物地理分析短文。本书的这一部分内容概括了马里杰出领导人所取得的一些成果。作为马里的领袖，松迪亚塔攻打索索的人，取得了最后的胜利。然后他的接班人，曼萨洼里，曼萨·穆萨不仅在非洲扩大它的影响，还有欧那里有丰富的盐。

A book reviewed by Stephen Agyepong, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana. 
Chu, Daniel, and Elliott Skinner. 2010. A Glorious Age in Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, The Story of Three Great Empires.
Chapter two discusses Mali as the empire of the Mandingo people. With a capital known as Kangaba on the Niger River, Mali was unimportant until the thirteenth century. The Mandingoes were different from the people of Ghana. Their king, Sumanguru, had a son by the name of Sundiata, who has been worshiped as a spiritual leader by the Mandingoes even up to this day. His name means ‘hungering lion’, and he was the prince of the Keita clan (p. 54). 
The war between Mali and Sosso forces, called a showdown in the book, occurred in 1235. Sumanguru was driven into exile in the mountains during the Battle of Karina. Eventually, Mali fought back and conquered the Sosso people, making Mali the most powerful empire in the area. Unlike Ghana, the Empire of Mali was founded on the Islamic faith, and its citizens [End Page 132] were Muslims. Sundiata became the king or emperor, and he was succeeded by his son by the name of Mansa Wali, nicknamed “the red king” (p. 60). 
With Mansa Musa as the successor to Mansa Wali, Mali increased in power, and its geographic size was equal to that of today’s Europe. Mali had well-organized political divisions, but it was where tribal and ethnic politics reigned supreme. It relied on taxes to run its affairs, though its financial system was like that of Ghana. Mansa Musa traveled to Egypt on a pilgrimage and, in the words of the historian Charles Monteil, Egyptians returned the visit in large caravans. The arriving Egyptians were considered foreigners, but they still wielded influence because the king (sometimes known as an emperor), “drew large tax revenues from them[,] which he levied under diverse forms” (p. 71). 
Part of Mali’s wealth came from salt and gold mines. Being wealthy, Mansa Musa planned an Islamic pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, during which he met Es-Saheli, a poet and outstanding architect, whom the king persuaded to return with him to Mali, where he designed auditoriums and other beautiful places. Mansa Musa I, who ruled for twenty-five years, died in 1332, when Malian influence was dwindling. Mansa Maghan, his son, succeeded him and lost Timbuktu to the warlike Mossi people, who eventually set the center of learning on fire. Maghan ruled for four years, and he was succeeded by his father’s brother, Mansa Sulayman, who also went on a pilgrimage to Mecca before he died in 1359. 

Annotation:
This part of the book review drew a outline of the some achievements made by outstanding leaders of Mali. Worshiped as the leader of Mali, founded on the Muslim Civilization,  Sundiata fought against Sosso people, and ended with triumph. Then his successors, Mansa Wali, Mansa musa enlarged its influence not only in Africa, but Europe. Then the author pointed out why Mali was wealthy, as it was rich in salt and mines. Then he outlined the dwindling Mali, as it lost Timbuktu to Mossi people.
The formation comes from a book named A Glorious Age in Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, The Story of Three Great Empires. It was relatively objective, as authors had dug a deep research into the history, based on the archeology and anthropology discoveries. 
The material was useful, as it depicted the peak and valley of Mali in a specific way. It gave me a perspective of looking at the development of Mali chronically, broadened my knowledge about some outstanding leaders in Mali. 

Analysis:
The author is Stephen Agyepong , from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
It is a review of a book named A Glorious Age in Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, The Story of Three Great Empires written by Chu, Daniel, and Elliott Skinner. Agyepong briefly drew an outline of the book, such as the history of some outstanding leaders in Mali. 
It was published in Africa Today, in fall 2013, probably under the background when Africa was in need of world’s aid. Then its history had to be fully disclosed, as a way of helping the world understand Africa. 
As I did some research before, I recognized that Mali was the second largest empire in the world only after the Mongolian empire in Asia then. And the material gave me a more detailed idea of its size, roughly as large as Europe. 
The book review was aimed at those who were interested in the history of Africa, as once it achieved glory worth admiration from the world. Those who carried out research into Africa for the sake of getting some idea of its modernization also benefit from the review, or those who want to get a brief look at the book, A Glorious Age in Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, The Story of Three Great Empires.