Part I : Birth of an emperor
On the morning of his arrival, the whole empire came out to pay respect to their future emperor. Unsurprisingly, all activities were put on hold and every attendee expected to bring a gift and wear traditional attire. For women colourful dresses and white head scarves to display true beauty of diversity and sanctity of the event. Men wore white garments topped off with bonnets and brown leather sandals to give them pride and likened stature. At sun rise, a horde of subjects filled the central market place of the golden city of Niani. A sea of people in white, seen from the stand appeared as if though angels had come from the heavens to welcome the future emperor.
On a two metre high podium, the wealthy imperial family sat above the crowd on majestic wooden thrones engraved with wonderful verses from the Coran. The emperor’s crown was made of gold incrusted with gems of all sorts. The outfit he wore greatly matched the grandiosity of the occasion. The empress’s long shiny gown fully covered her enchanting figure. She wore lovely pearls around her neck and golden bracelets on her wrists and ankles. Between them sat a magnificently decorated wooden crib—animal drawings covering the outer part. Inside, a fragile Kaya Maga ready to meet his people. Around the royal family stood the renowned imperial court. The group encompassed tribal leaders and noble men fated to serve their emperor. The cries of joy dampened by the noise from the multitude. An impatient mass aching to lay eye upon their blessed leader and the new born. The deafening brouhaha menaced to scare off any evil spirit drifting around.
The ceremony began with a loud traditional symphony. The rhythmic sound of drums, balafons, xylophones, rattles, mbira, shakers and the smell of grilled cow, sheep, camel meat enhanced the quality of the celebrations. Between the crowd and stage traditional dancers performed unbelievable moves and stunts. Their act was followed by several wrestling contests where the champion would obtain a significant sum and chance to gain a position in the imperial guard. The winner of the challenge was none other than Sembema, a greatly feared wrestler known to have never lost a fight. On that day, he proved the legends factual by submitting six outstanding warriors amongst which Kobila an elite soldier of the imperial guard. Sembema received a commendation from Mansa Moussa himself. The emperor praised the undeniable strength and agility by claiming the performance was nothing short of a miracle.
With a mesmerising and light smile the emperor asked Sembema
“Where did you learn to fight like a lion?”
Full of pride, the muscular Sembema kneeling on stage, head down slightly raised his eyes and responded with a deep strong voice.
“The fight is in my blood emperor.”A moment’s pause, exhaled and continued.
“My father and his father before him descended from a long line of renowned warriors.”
“My entire life I have trained for this day.”
“My dream has always been to follow in the path of my ancestors by becoming the first to honour my family by being a part of the imperial guard.”
Delighted by such moving words Mansa Moussa slowly replied.
“I feel content knowing you will be here to look after my family”
“Thank you for your sacrifice”
Head down and still prostrating Sembema slowly stepped back and left the stage. The crowd once again roared his name and applauded in a standing ovation to show their appreciation.
The wrestling was then followed by the main event which featured a revealing of the new born. The emperor stood above the spectators and slowly lifted the child atop his head. The reverberation of the people thundered tenfold. The stage shook as if an earthquake had hit. The screams lasted several minutes before the master of the ceremony had to interrupt the unending popular exclamation to make a final speech.
“Today is the happiest day of my life. I rejoice to the idea of knowing our legacy will prevail. The name of my son and future emperor is Kaya Maga. I promise to teach him the qualities compulsory for his ascension and ultimate success as your leader. He will also need the help of his people to meet expectations. So assist him in any way you can. I love my child, I love my people and I hope we all show him the path to love and the protection of our legacy. The celebration will last a total of three days so manage your strength, for there will be a lot of work to be done afterwards. Inch’Allah and Shukran!”
Naturally, people’s scream once again filled the space—scaring off birds who’d landed to admire the short and memorable speech. Mansa Moussa known for his smooth and eloquent words, gently disappeared behind the scene followed by his court while the festivities carried on for three days and nights.
