The incredible story of Dianké Wali and Ghalain Sonko, the Tax CollectorThis kanta mansa has remained famous in the history of Gabou. He is the hero of a beautiful epic still sung by the Gabounké griots.
Born in Mankountang in Sankolla, country of the Sonko, he was koring and was noticed early by his bravery. A few years before the reign of Dianke Wali, he was in fact already exercising the profession of tax collector of Gabou, because his brother, Nfally Sonko, coward rider, stayed behind and sent Galain Sonko to claim taxes from the mansa and other kanta mansa. It is said that he himself was brave only in front of the harmless foulacounda and morocounda.
Galain Sonko's reputation was great when Dianké Wali ascended to the throne; he did not hesitate to besiege even the nanthios to claim taxes owed to the mansa-ba.
Once appointed titular collector, the fiery koring formed a formidable militia. He spent his time on the roads; when he arrived in front of a city, the mansa or the kanta mansa had better pay the tax quickly. In terms of militia, Galain Sonko had a real army, living in the country and capable of besieging any place. He was seen traveling the Gabou from one end to the other; the peripheral provinces like Manna, Koli or Chanya saw him at the gates of their city; he thus strengthens the authority of the mansa-ba as far as the ocean, towards Niomi and Fogny, as far as Damantang in the south-east. The griots composed a hymn for him, which the women sang in all the villages. The indefatigable koring fills the royal granaries; the royal treasury was furnished.
But Galain Sonko, as a good Soninké, made the full weight of his authority weigh on the Morocounda, considered by him to be centers of contestation of Gabounké power. These Muslim villages, along with the foulacounda, were the most opulent in Gabou. There resided large merchants chartering caravans or accommodating them.
From these villages the caravans left for the counters of Seju or Gambia, with donkeys heavily laden with wax, peanuts, skins and grains. The tax collector was such that several caravanners migrated to the shores of The Gambia, to the chagrin of French traders in Seju.
As for the foulacounda, Galain Sonko, who had an unquenchable hatred for the Peuls since the Fouta had made victorious raids in Kantor, quite simply put them in order. There too, the fulo fled in large numbers, some towards Forria, which towards Djimara. The collector's descents into the Manna were frequent; the Peuls of this province were certainly the most unfortunate, plundered, sometimes by the Muslim Peuls, sometimes by the Mandingo.
After two years, the authority of mansa-ba was restored throughout Gabou; the tax was coming in; the annual meetings were held and there was a crowd of nianthio and kanta mansa in Kansala on this occasion.
Dianke Wali, with income from taxes and other charges, began in his first year of reign to build a new Moungniningo or palace. He brought in the best craftsmen from Gabou; it even came from Fouta Djallon, in the person of Djallonkés assigned to the making of mosque roofs and who had fled.
Dianke Wali acquired a richly dressed mounted guard; he revived the old protocol; he now had what to equip his courtiers, what to dress them.
Gabou seemed to be reborn from its ashes. The mansa-ba held solemn sittings; he dispensed justice and settled disputes between the kanta mansa. Galain Sonko, the tax collector also known as mansa Galain, was in all his glory.
It was around this time - in 1847 - that the Manda affair broke out.
Manda's case
It was from the Manda case that the struggle between Gabou and Fouta entered a decisive phase. Until then, on both sides, we had given hands. Here are the facts, related with a few variations by the various Mandingo traditions.
Around 1847, Dianké Wali sent merchants to Djolof and Kadior to procure horses in order to raise the Kansala cavalry; Other merchants went to Manda, a trading town in Fouta Djallon, not far from Touba [in Guinea], where there was a large trade in European goods from Kakandé and Rio Pongo factories.
When they arrived in Manda, these merchants, knowing no one, settled in the public square or bantan. They opened their travel bags and began to eat, waiting for a few locals to offer them the traditional hospitality due to travelers arriving in a village.
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