CHAPITRE 0318th–19th centuries

The Kong Empire and the Dioula Trade Network

Northern trade routes, Islam and mud-brick mosques

✓ Verified · 2 sources

In the early 18th century the Ouattara family founded the state of Kong in the north, a hub for the trade in kola nuts, gold, cloth and salt. Mandé-speaking Dioula merchants, travelling the routes from the Niger River to the forest, carried Islam and Sudanese-style mud architecture southward. Kong was destroyed by Samory Touré in 1897.

The north was never a 'periphery'. It was the southern end of the trans-Saharan network: kola nuts went north from the southern forests, while salt, cloth and Islamic learning came south.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

Northern towns have mud-brick mosques bristling with wooden stakes; many traders in the markets speak Dioula; Ouattara is a common surname in the north.

POURQUOI · So what

In 2021 eight Sudanese-style mosques in the north were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a sign of the blending of Senufo and Malinké cultures. Dioula is still the common language of trade in markets across the country.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

In the north or among Dioula traders, talking about Kong and the mud-brick mosques builds more rapport than talking about Abidjan. Kola nuts are still a common gift when visiting elders.

Asian and European parallelsLike the southern terminus of the Silk Roads: merchants brought religion, architecture and language along with their goods.