The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-03
MOHAMMEDANISM IN AFRICA.

The Reported Great Movement in the In
terror of the Dark Continent.
st. James's Gazette, London.
The great Mohammedan movement which is
reported from Sierra Leone to be in progress in
the interior of West Africa has long been prepar
ing. 1t may not be as extended or important as
described in the statement of the United States
consul at Sierra Leone; but in any case it is
to be the cause Of serious commercial and polit-
ical disturbance. 1t is not more than fifty years
ago that the Mussulman religion obtained any
thing like fair hold the west coast of Africa,
yet in 1859 it had practically conquered all the
territory between the Senegal and Sierra Leone
rivers, distance of nearly 600 miles, and in
1875 had passed several hundred miles further
south in the interior Among the most active
agents in the propaganda have been the Man
dingo merchants; who are to be found dispersed
all over that part of the continent.
Keen traders and enthusiastic religion
| lists, they have been at one and the
same time the purveyors of Manchester anu
Birmingham wares and Jealous missionaries or
the Prophet. OF their original condition and
conversion to the Mussulman faith but little
that is trustworthy is known; but through their
relations by means of messengers and corre-
spondence conducted in Maghrabi-they have
become an important factor in the political and
social development and unifcation of the West
African tribes. While the island trade of Sierra
Leone has been carried on by these Mandingoes,
whose language has been styled the Italian of
Africa, the Susus of the country between the
| Gambia and Sierra Leone have been the mari
| time traders, and have since their conversion
| done much to extend Mohammedanism among
| the west African coast tribes. In their great
canoes-many capable of containing over hun
| dred men besides the crews-they pursued both
| legitimate trade and unlawful traffic in slaves
| along the coast stretching from the Rio Grande
| to the Liberian border In the days
| before the suppression of the trade in
| ''ebOny" the flashes of guns on stormy nights,
! fired from slave canoes running their human
cargoes, were often cutting it yange" as
the phrase went, or defying the British Resident
| and his men to launch their boats amid the
! shark -swarming breakers in pursuit On one
| occasion, in 1859. when such challenge was ac-
cepted by the Resident at Kent, on the Sierra
| Leone coast, and his brave black boatmen, the
| chase resulted in smart skirmish and the cap
| ture of a large numbe of Slaves and the death
| of notorious Susu slaye-trader Binty Shaka
| by name. On his body was found the sword of
young Vincent, an officer of one Of the West In
dia regiments, who, with Sergeant major Scan
| Ian and number of his men, slain fighting
against terrible odds in the retreat from the dis
| astrous attack on the stockaded town of Mala-
geah, on the MellicOorie, three years before But
| the propagation of the faith depended not on the
| local efforts only. Arabs of Arabia and the Sou
| dan, and negro emissaries less diplomatic. but
more openly fanatical, fresh from piigrimases to
| the shrine OF the Prophet, travelled through the
| length and breadthof the country, preaching to
| and confirming in the faith the newly converted
| From the description of the movement given
| by the American consul at Sierra Leone it is
evident that its course has been up the valley of
the upper Niger probably stimulated by the
| recent French aggressions in that quarter If it
| be true that Ramaku, the French headquarters
| on the Upper Niger. is attacked, the probability
| is that movement is in progress toward the
| headwaters of the Senegal and Gambia Eure
| and Fulada would be on the line Of march in the
| direction of the Gambia and Senegal; but would
| also conduct to some of the more southerly
| rivers. Should, however an invading column
| be heard of coming toward the coast by way of
| Pimbo, then the objective point would be Porto
| Lokko, on the headwaters of the Sierre Leone
river, the capital of the Timmani country The
! starting points of the movement will be found
| to have been Yamina, Segu, and Timbuctoo, On
| the north bank of the Niger and Hamdallahi
| city which grows in Importance with the decay
| of Timbuctoo. and is the starting point sof the
annual caravans going south toward the Gold
Coast, and southwest toward Sierra Leone. The
| impulse of the movement comes either from
Tunis or the Soudan, and without doubt is
reflex of the development of Mahdism with
which we have been contending up the Nile