Matar Ndour: His camera traces the footsteps of 13th-century Africa's rights roadmap

When Senegalese photographer Matar Ndour set out to trace the origins of the Mandé Charter, a 13th-century text that challenges Western monopoly on constitutional and regulatory practices, it took him on a journey of visual exploration through the defining period of African intellectual history.

Ndour's body of work now informs an insightful exhibition at Dakar's Théodore Monod Museum of African Art, bridging historical heritage with contemporary reflection.

The Mandé Charter, also known as the Kurukan Fuga Charter after the place where it was proclaimed in what is now Mali's Kangaba district, is a founding text of human rights consisting of 44 articles covering social organisation, family structures, conflict resolution, tolerance, inheritance rights, exercise of authority and environment management.

The charter was drawn up in 1236 after the Battle of Krina, which marked the liberation of the Mandinka people from the yoke of King Soumaoro Kanté, and proclaimed the day Soundjata Keita –son of Maghan Kon Fatta and Sogolon, aka the "Buffalo Woman" – was enthroned as the new ruler.

Preserved through generations of griots, who are the unsung heroes of Sahelian oral traditions, the charter remains an African reference point for exploring the origins of human rights.

The irony is that legal literature still largely draws on European sources for this history, citing humanist texts, ancient Greek philosophy, the French 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, or the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The notion that the West institutionalised human rights based on values of democracy and freedom also continues to be widely endorsed in mainstream literature.

But the Mandé Charter is living proof that the relationship between individuals and their rights within a community, their awareness of their place in society, their connections with neighbours, and duties towards the environment and loved ones are not exclusive to European history.

These human values existed within evolved African social structures long before Europe imposed its narrative on the rest of the world.

Retracing ancient paths

Ndour's project was built around extensive field research and oral documentation, reconciling visual representation with historical record.

He walked ancient routes, tracing the footsteps of the leaders and thinkers of the time. At every turn and in every region he visited, there were echoes of the past as he immersed himself in the clamour of the great assembly and the teachings passed down by griots.

The photographer-artist's journey began in Siby, the gateway to Mandé and around 40km southwest of the Malian capital of Bamako. This was once the kingdom of Kamandjan Camara, warlord and loyal lieutenant of Soundjata Keita during his campaign against Soumaoro Kanté.

From Siby, Ndour travelled to Kangaba and Kéla, then to Krina on the banks of the Djoliba, where Soumaoro, king of Sosso, had camped before the battle in which he died.

Walking into a village of traditional Dozo hunters in the Mandinga region, Ndour learnt of their intrinsic connection to the charter. As he photographed these hunters and shared meals with them, they told him of the Mandé "Hunters' Oath" and about the secrets of medicinal plants passed down generations to help the community survive.

Ndour was intrigued to hear that the Dozo tribe was also linked to an earlier charter from 1222 consisting of seven articles.

Inspired by the words of Guinean historian Djibril Tamsir Niane – "If you go to Kà-ba, visit the clearing of Kouroukan Fouga, where you will see a Linké tree planted to perpetuate the memory of the great assembly that witnessed the division of the world" – the photographer also visited the site of Kouroukan Fouga and the sacred hut of Soundjata Keita.

Contemporary connections

After Mali, Ndour travelled to Burkina Faso. In Bobo-Dioulasso, he attended the annual gathering of Dozo hunters from Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Burkina, photographing the interiors of the hotel belonging to the oldest Dozo hunter, opposite an old mosque.

Ndour then explored the kingdom of Gabou at the intersection of Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Senegal, specifically studying the origin of the kora, which used to be the principal musical instrument of the royal court.

To give the project a contemporary dimension, he connected his journey to the curated collections at the Théodore Monod African Art Museum in Dakar, creating a series of portraits that contextualise musical instruments, particularly the kora.

He worked with stylist Oumou Sy on representations that showcase the valiant kings, adorned in fine strips of fabric.

Ndour's Mandé Charter project is more than just a historical travelogue of artistic expression. It tells the story of African integration and throws light on the cultural mosaic of a sub-region where identities are constantly shifting.

The photographer's approach of revisiting history through reconstructed images reproduces a fragmented but living reality. This relationship between image and history, between photographer and historical fact, also serves as tribute to the labour of a long line of historians.