Seku Watara
| Seku Watara | |
|---|---|
| Fagama | |
| Reign | c. 1710-1745 |
| Predecessor | Lasiri Gbambele |
| Successor | Samandougou |
| Born | Aboudoudou Kadal Watara c. 1670 Kong, Ivory Coast |
| Died | c. 1745 Kong, Ivory Coast |
| War House | Watara |
| Father | Tieba Watara |
Seku Watara (also spelled Sekou Ouattara or Wattara) was the founder and first king of the Kong Empire.
Early Life
[edit]Aboudoudou Kadal Watara was born the son of Dioula traders either in the Sumakhana neighborhood of Kong[1] or the nearby village of Ténenguéra or Tenegala.[2] Educated in Arabic, he was given the sobriquet seku meaning cheikh.[3] He eventually became one of the richest merchants of the region. By collaborating with the leader of Gonja for an assault on Bouna in 1709, he gained a massive windfall in gold, slaves, and firearms, helping to launch his political ambiitons.[2]
There are conflicting stories telling how Seku came to power in Kong, by defeating the native Fallafala (a branch of the Senufo people) in battle,[4] or by sneaking into town during a market day and overthrowing the chief, Lasiri Gbambele. [5][6] Gbambele and Seku were related, but there was significant discord as a result of a dispute between Lasiri and Seku's father over the woman who became Seku's mother. This oral tradition claims that in 1710 Lasiri suppressed Islam in Kong and embraced the Nyama-Kurugu cult. Seku, meanwhile, funded and led a coalition of clerics and local leaders to resist Gbambele. When Lasiri expelled a Muslim cleric from Kong, Seku brought together his forces to seize the town, executing Lasiri.[7]
Reign
[edit]After establishing control over Kong, forces under Seku and allied leaders with their own war houses expanded north to the Black Volta and south to Boule, focusing on controling and defending the critical trade routes linking the region to the great trading cities of the Niger river valley and ultimately desert-side markets. Seku himself pushed north across the Leraba river, conquering the Tiefo people among others.[8][9] He eventually reached Sya, where the local Bobo people requested his help against their rebellious vassals. Seku left one of his sons in charge of the region and returned to Kong.[10] This was a widespread strategy to cement the family's control over crucial settlements.[11] His son Kere-Mori and brother Famagan Watara were critical in securing Kong's power in the Mouhoun River bend.[12]
In the south, Seku's forces ran into the growing Ashanti Empire. The resulting conflict was a stalemate, leaving Ashanti in control of Gyaaman, but recognizing Kong's independence.[6]
Death and Legacy
[edit]Seku died around 1745. A son took power in Kong but, as a younger relative to experienced and established warlords such as Famagan, could not assert his authority over the entire Watara War House.[13][14]
Seku is the ancestor of current Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Tauxier 2003, p. 39.
- ^ a b Şaul 1998, p. 545.
- ^ Tauxier 2003, p. 41.
- ^ Tauxier 2003, p. 39-40.
- ^ Louis-Gustave Binger, Du Niger au golfe de Guinée par le pays de Kong et le Mossi, Paris, 2 vol., in-8, 1898, quoted in Tauxier 2003, p. 22
- ^ a b Launay 1988, p. 356.
- ^ Şaul 1998, p. 546.
- ^ Tauxier 2003, p. 40-41.
- ^ Perinbam, B. Marie (1988). "The Political Organization of Traditional Gold Mining: The Western Loby, c. 1850 to c. 1910". The Journal of African History. 29 (3): 437–462. doi:10.1017/s0021853700030577. S2CID 154649469.
- ^ Tauxier 2003, p. 41-42.
- ^ Cornevin, R. (1986). The Encyclopedia of Islam. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill. pp. 252–253.
- ^ Şaul 1998, p. 547.
- ^ Şaul 1998, p. 551.
- ^ Azarya 1988, p. 119.
- ^ Sylvestre-Treinier, Anne (18 October 2018). "Côte d'Ivoire : Kong, capitale d'un empire disparu devenue le fief electoral d'Alassane Ouattara". Jeune Afrique. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
Sources
[edit]- Azarya, Victor (1988). "Jihads and the Dyula State in West Africa". The Early State in African Perspective. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill.
- Launay, Robert (1988). "Warriors and Traders. The Political Organization of a West African Chiefdom". Cahiers d'Études Africaines. 28 (111/112): 355–373. doi:10.3406/cea.1988.1657.
- Şaul, Mahir (1998). "The War Houses of the Watara in West Africa". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 31 (3): 537–570. doi:10.2307/221475. JSTOR 221475.
- Tauxier, Louis (2003). Bernus, Edmond (ed.). Les états de Kong. Paris: Karthala Editions.