BéréSanké Percussion, Kocassalé Dioubaté, Hand-made drums, Workshops, Performances
Hand-made African drums, instruments, music, workshops and performances.
Decline and Fall of the Mali Empire
At its height, The Mali Empire extended over an area larger than Western Europe but following Mansa Musa's death, the kingdom went into a long decline, shrinking to the size of its original territory by 1645.
In the early 15th century, the Mossi of present-day Burkina Faso began to make inroads into Malian territory in the south, while the Tuaregs advanced from the Sahara to the north. They launched a number of successful raids on Timbuktu, which did not disrupt scholastic life or commercial activity, but fatally undermined the government by appropriating taxes for themselves.
Disputes over succession weakened the crown and a number of vassal states declared their independence, most notably the Songhai of Gao. This new state rapidly expanded into an empire, totally eclipsing Mali and claiming much of the territory of the crumbling Empire. This succession effectively marked the end of the Legendary Empire of Mali.
