Now, heres some interesting history.

Among West African griots, the indigenous his

torians who often preserve thousands of years of history via ORAL TRADITION (cra
zy I know!), the history of travel to the West is always shrouded in some degree
of mystery (also crazy!). Some griots have mentioned West Africans voluntarily
getting onto slaveships to bring their lineage to the West, ultimately resurrecti
ng one day to liberate his kin. Others allude to the West as a place of exile or
banishment, not the place everyone wanted to run off to. But griots like Sadio D
iabate are recently beginning to share that Abu Bakr and his journey was not wel
l-remembered by all. Could he and 2,000 ships full of loyalists been sent off in e
xile? Or was his abdication of the throne seen as a poor decision, considering h
ow Mansu Musas movements as mansa led to a decidedly dreadful series of outcomes.
But well get to that.Before I can tell you about its fall, I need you to really u
nderstand, Mali was amazing. Its capital was Timbuktu, a world-famous center for
learning. Since its founding in 1080, Timbuktu had been steadily rising in promi
nence. Over 300 years, Timbuktu became bigger than what New York City is today a
nd please keep in mind that our current empire is only about 500 years old altoget
her. Africa empires lasted thousands of years, across all of Africa. In Central
Africa, there are cultures that lasted for 20 to 30,000 years! By 1300, Timbuktu
housed the leading universities, museums, archives, and libraries of not just A
frica, but these institutions showcased the cultures and histories of the WORLD.
And all the world went there to study. After the West destroyed Alexandria in t
he Nile Valley, our wise scientists built centers of learning throughout Asia an
d Africa. In the 1300s, there was no center comparable to Timbuktu. It wasnt just
a place of learning, it was a sprawling metropolis, vibrant with culture, busy
with trade and tradition. It was like New York except not scummy. And I love New
York, but Mali was Africas heart at this time, so the traditions were African. T
here was love in places where some of us only know poison. Real brotherly love.
Mali itself connected the trade and cultural networks of distant African communi
ties, ranging from those trading salt in the desert or those tending herds in th
e grasslands, to those foraging in the rainforest. Mali was big. And it was 100%
Black-owned and operated. Now thats a REAL EMPIRE. However, after Mansa Musa tra
veled across Africa and the Middle East giving away gold, he attracted the atten
tion of crooks of the highest caliber. To rob the richest Black man in the world
, you cant just be a two-bit pickpocket or pirate. No, Mansa Musa had drawn the a
ttention of Europe itself. How did the white world come to known of Malis wealth?
Apparently, Mansa Musa had stunted so hard on his hajj (with good intent) that
geographers were drawing maps featuring a Black man riding across Africa with a
piece of gold in his hand, looking at it like he just fished some lint outta his
pocket. And its a huge nugget of gold. Even more gangster, the depict this Black
man enthroned like a European monarch with a crown on his head and an orb and s
cepter in his hand! White folks might act like they dont remember being racist ba
ck this long ago, but they damn sure was. And they were foaming at the mouth. Eu
ropean explorers and the elite who funded them were soon working overtime to get
to that gold. Well, now theyve got it! Do you know the history between 1324 and
1590, which tells us how the ended up controlling all of it today?