Idea #31 – Meeting the Soussou People at Samaya in Guinea
Soussous people is a mandingue population of western Africa living mainly in Guinea, also in the northwest of the Sierra Leone and in Guinea-Bissau. At the time of the Ghana empire, Soussous leaves the Summoned to go to settle down in Fouta-Djalon. They live with diverse ethnic groups, Nalous Bagas, Coniaguis there Bassaris, the Fulanis, and Djalonké. During XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries, Muslim Fulanis originally of Fouta-Toro and Macina, settle down in Fouta-Djalon; by the jihad, they push away Soussous, refusing to be converted to the Islam, enslaving those who did not have been able to flee away. Soussous finds refuge towards the coast, where they create powerful kingdoms built thanks to spices trade, palm oil, and slaves. Nowadays, in the Soussou society, the respect for the oldest and for the moral values remained very important, as in all the African societies.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Lac de Samaya, Guinée