Kouroukan Fouga - Rediscovery and Publication

Rediscovery and Publication

Although texts of the Kouroukan Fouga were published earlier, notably by Cissé, they were normally based on the testimony of a single informant. In order to create a more comprehensive text, in 1998, a regional workshop was held in Kankan, Guinea to publish and preserve the oral history related to the area's djeli or griots. Assisted by modern communicators and Guinea linguists under the supervision of Siriman Kouyaté, the leading traditionalists authority from Niagasole in Guinea, transcribed and translated the laws and edicts preserved in different regions from the core of the Mali Empire. Kouyaté then organized the recorded edicts, making sure not alter their original translation.

The Kouroukan Fouga, as published by Kouyaté, contains 44 edicts. They are divided into four sections concerned with Social Organization (edicts 1-30), Property Rights (edicts 31-36), Environmental Protection (edicts 37-39) and Personal Responsibilities (edicts 40-44).