Kangaba Kaba | |
|---|---|
Commune and town | |
 Entrance to Kangaba | |
  Kangaba Location in Mali Show map of Mali Kangaba Kangaba (Africa) Show map of Africa | |
| Coordinates:11°56′N8°25′W / 11.933°N 8.417°W /11.933; -8.417 | |
| Country |  Mali |
| Region | Koulikoro Region |
| Cercle | Kangaba Cercle |
| Population | |
• Total | 17,232[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
Kangaba is a town,commune, and seat of theKangaba Cercle in theKoulikoro Region of south-westernMali.[2]
Kangaba is believed to have been founded in 1050 byMandinka tribesmen and was a vassal state of theGhana Empire.[3] Once known asKaba, the area was a core province of theMali Empire.[4] After winning theBattle of Kirina in 1235,Sundiata Keita proclaimed the Manden Charter, also known as theKouroukan Fouga after the field near Kangaba where it was created, perhaps the oldest constitution in the world. Ceremonies are still held in the town to honor the ancient traditions and promote a message of peace and fraternity.[5]
The Kamablon (fr) is a sacred circular mudbrick building with a conical roof in thebara, or large public square, at the center of town, built in 1653. The oldest of its kind in the Manden cultural zone, its septennial re-roofing ceremony brings together the traditional castes, founding dynasties of the Mali Empire, andgriots who recite the oral history and tradition of the region. This ceremony was listed on theRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.[6]
The relationship between Kangaba and the Keita clan is disputed. Some sources[7] claim that the town was the boyhood home of Sundiata Keita and the first capital of the Mali Empire. The Keitas likely, however, only established a base there after the decline of the larger empire, and it thus became associated in popular imagination with the original legend.[8]
Names and Dates taken from John Stewart'sAfrican States and Rulers (2005).[3]
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