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Some of the most memorable scenes from the 1987 Malian film Yeelen by Souleymane Cissé.

Yeelen means "brightness/light" in Bambara.

Set in the 13th century, the film tells the legend of Niankoro, the son of the sorceror Soma, and ultimately their fateful confrontation.

Soma, upon seeing a vision in which his son will be the death of him, deigns to slay his son. Niankoro leaves his mother and receives a prophecy from a hyena-man, then embarks on a mystical quest to defeat his father, who is tracking him via Kore magic post through Bambara, Fula and Dogon lands.

After impressing a Fula king with his magic, and helping his men win a war against some rivals, Niankoro receives his wife Attou (after "curing" "her" infertility and the 2 laying together).

Bogolanfini adds a sahelcore flair to any outfit in the form of headwraps, scarves, skirts, pants or boubou (kaftan).

It may be the most emblematic Sahelian textile apart from indigo tie-dye.

A town called San is the epicenter of bogolanfini production and source of the highest quality bogolan textile.

The dyeing process has been described as "cumbersome and tedious". First, cotton strips woven by the men are then dyed by the women (who undergo year-long apprenticeships)-- but first, the fresh cloth is soaked in a sort of tea made from ngallama leaves turning it yellow. After this, it is sundried, and then patterns are repeatedly hand painted with dyes made from iron-rich riverbed clays that have been fermented in jars for up to a year. The iron in the dye turns the painted areas a very dark brown thanks to the chemical reaction between the treated cotton and the dye.

The yellow parts are bleached with soaps and then the cloth is washed, leaving behind the distinctive black and white pattern that overtime may fade to varying shades of brown.

Other methods of producing bogolanfini exist in other parts of Mali, of varying degrees of quality.

Bogolanfini entered the fashion industry via designer Chris Seydou, who brought the enigmatic traditional textile into the mainstream.

What is the secret of the Sahel?

This orature legend of the birth of the Soninke bardic art chronicles the fall of Wagadou, the Soninke/Mande empire more popularly known as Ghana (not present day Ghana the country, which is named after this historical Mauritanian-Senegalese-Malian region empire).

Follow Gassire the warrior prince, who turns away from nobility to become his people's first diari (griot: bard).

Here is a song named for the Soninke

https://open.spotify.com/track/55YdtD6BbmJ7NsDW4Z1Dpo?si=2Ogi-U2QQkuHoSZef_-PXw

Wagadou rose between the 1st-3rd century and fell in the 13th century, after being conquered by Sosso and submitting to the later Malian empire. Wagadou was preceded by Dhar Tichitt (1600 BC) and Djenne-Djenno, the ruins of which can be seen today. It was followed by Mali and Songhay, 2 of the most powerful kingdoms in the old Sahel.

Ghana means "warrior chief," and Wagadou (the Soninke name) could be named for the Wague (name for the nobility of the region) or named after the Soninke goddess. Legend says that when the 2 sons of the Kaya Maghan (king of gold, 800 Dinga Cisse, princes Khine and Dyabe fought over who should take the throne. Khine was victorious, continuing the Cisse Tounkara dynasty. However, Dyabe in humiliation, made a deal with the seven headed snake Bida, who promised victory over his brother in exchange for sacrificing a beautiful virgin every year. It was believed that the prosperity and gold that granted that prosperity was a result of these sacrifices, and so they continued until the brave fiance Maadi of the beauty Sia Yatabere was the first to rebel, slaying the snake and cutting its heads. Bida cursed Wagadu to drought and ruin, and sure enough, Wagadou fell, and the Soninke had to migrate southwards to find fertile land.

The now rare film Sia, Le Réve du Python, is based on this legend.

The capital of Ghana/Wagadou is believed to be Koumbi-Saleh. Here is an ambient instrumental piece paying homage to this ancient city:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4SRL7gOHRxrSb4TyvrBnvq?si=sNF5NePgQYqGOIsCbsdSCg

Vintage video of Soninke girls singing and flute player

https://youtu.be/bQm2aIVHakw?si=Rf3oYrcOsGnEAXTS

Soninke traditional drum dance

https://youtu.be/8FmiE_kdda0?si=7PQPVdYE0gNAJ4et