THE TOURE HERITAGE A GIFT TO MY CHILDREN

Far from the clichés that paint my background as that of a child born with a golden spoon, there is the story of a determined patriot. I'm not the predestined heir to a royal dynasty, but the fruit of unwavering devotion to my country and an iron will to seize the opportunities that fate has thrown my way.

My heritage can be traced back to the distant echoes of Timbuktu and Djenné, Mali's mythical cities and historic hubs of cultural and commercial exchange. Family accounts speak of my grandfather, Arouna Touré, as a trader originally from these regions, and even from Guinea, before the winds of history pushed him towards Benin. He travelled the famous salt routes, witness to the rich trans-Saharan trade, before finally settling in Parakou, in northern Benin, and starting a family.

Parakou folk tales sing of the bravery of this Malian trader. According to legend, Arouna Touré possessed mystical powers, perhaps gifted by the silent desert, which protected the village from animal threats. In gratitude, the inhabitants gave him a wife, my grandmother Baké Zaratou, thus weaving our family's destiny in this village.?

My grandfather, though recognized by his given name, Arouna Touré, was predominantly referred to as “Bakatoukaa” in the community. In Bariba, this translates to?"really big",?a moniker befitting his legacy. After all, he was the one who, with unmatched determination, rid our ancestral neighborhood in Parakou of the hyenas that once tormented its inhabitants. It was this very act that inspired the name Bakikoura for our area, meaning?"hyena neighborhood".?In that reclaimed land, he erected our family home, surrounding it with a lush garden, bustling with a variety of vegetables that drew locals for their daily shopping.

In the tapestry of my family's history, the vibrant thread of my paternal grandmother, Baké Zaratou, stands out. In Bariba tradition,?"Baké"?designates the third daughter, and so she was often affectionately called Baké Zara. Yet, after a life-changing pilgrimage to Mecca, she also earned the endearing title of?"Azia",?leading many to call her Azia Baké Zaratou or simply Azia Zara.

But destiny sometimes likes to play tricks. When my father, Mama Arouna and Azia Zara's only son, enrolled in school, a mistake changed the course of our history. To the transcriber's question?"Whose child is this?",?Azia Zara simply replied,?"Arouna's child",?referring to my grandfather's first name. From this misunderstanding was born the surname Arouna, eclipsing the Touré name that ran through our veins.

When I crossed the threshold of my father's house in Cotonou, my half-sister grandmother always greeted me with a singular greeting:?" F?? Touré, Touré Ka woura ".?An expression in Dendi that resonates deeply with me, even though I've never lived in Parakou and Dendi is unfamiliar to me. It was only much later that I deciphered this phrase in my memory: it simply means?"Hi Touré, Touré full of gold ". But behind this simple greeting lies a rich history.?

The Dendi, who live mainly in northern Benin, are often seen as a branch of the Songhai. These peoples, at the heart of the ancient Songhai Empire, were skilled traders, plying the centuries-old caravan routes. Today, although many continue to trade, the majority of the Dendi are engaged in subsistence farming, their faith being predominantly Muslim.

An intriguing aspect of our lineage is the greeting associated with the Touré name. Whether in Dendi or Bariba, it's expressed as "Touré ka woura", meaning?"Touré full of gold".?Every time I hear, "F?? Touré, Touré Ka woura", it evokes the rich gold reserves of Mali, hinting at our possible ancestral ties to this golden land. The greeting resonates, echoing the same sentiment in both dialects:?"Greeting Touré, Touré full of gold.

The "Touré" surname, common in West Africa, is an echo of Mandingo power. It alludes to the Soninke word "tuure", translated as "elephant", a majestic and powerful animal. Youba Bathily, an eminent Malian historian and sociologist, offers us three fascinating versions of the origins of the Touré family.

The first version, based on Mandingo tradition, postulates that the Touré, who came from the Empire of Ghana, helped Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, in his ascent. Another, more controversial theory associates them with the Moroccan Arma. A third, older version refers to the League of the Five Tribes of Sénaké in 114, where warriors dressed in animal skins. The name Touré thus derives from their custom of wearing elephant skins.

Youba Bathily's "Rois et Peuples de l'empire du Ghana" (Kings and Peoples of the Ghana Empire) highlights this rich history. In it, he recounts how the Touré, influential in the army, rose to become aristocrats and Islamic preachers. They played a crucial role alongside Soundiata in his fight against the Sosso, combining military strategy and mystical arts.

Through this complex history, the identity of the Touré was woven, from the Empire of Ghana to C?te d'Ivoire, via Mandé and Wassoulou. Each?"F?? Touré, Touré Ka woura"?pronounced is a reminder of this rich tapestry, a greeting that is much more than a simple expression: it is the echo of a history that continues to live within me.?

This story is not only a testimony to the force of destiny, but it also reflects the explorer's soul, the conqueror's soul, which has been rooted in the DNA of the Touré people for centuries. I feel this historical weight, this ancestral legacy, inciting me to perpetuate our rich heritage.?

My dear children Samad and Rihanna, this historical weight, this ancestral legacy this echo of our history this gift of our ancestors, this rich heritage it’s also, yours to perpetuate.