Mansa Musa as a Malian King - Essay Example

Mansa Musa of Mali Introduction Musa was a Malian king who ruled the Mali Empire for 25 years (1312-1337). Although his precise date of birth is a mystery, it is believed that he was probably born in the 1280s in Mali to sKankou Musa household. He served the then king Abubakari I. He received favor and admiration from the Emperor. Abubakari I was expeditious and would leave the empire for long. In his final journey that was aimed at reaching the end of Atlantic Ocean, he appointed Musa as the heir. King Abubakari I never return to Mali, hence, Musa became the king since he had been chosen by the former emperor himself. Musa was born a member the Keita clan that had ruled Mali for long and practiced Islam (Magil 2012). The most significant episode in his reign was during a visit to Mecca for hajj. His devotion to religion was very strong such that he built many mosques in the empire when he became king. According to manuscripts, Musa enlarged the kingdom of Mali to great extents. He captured major centers like Timbuktu that would emerge as historical and commercial center in the empire. Mansa Musa was also known and commended for his generosity. He gave away treasures like gold to people who were in need. During hajj, the emperor would give the needy part of the gold that he brought along. It was a sign of good will and concerned for the people in need. This earned is great reputation from Mali to Cairo. Moreover, he had spendthrift attitude in his expeditions where in one instance; he spent massive amounts of gold in Egypt such that its value depreciated for 12 years Leadership style Mansa Musa used participatory approach to leadership in Mali. He was actively engaged in every development aspect that affected Mali. The king was at the center of all the activities that enhanced Mali position as a strategic trading empire in North Africa. His attentive attitude to every issue affecting the empire positioned him at the best situation to act in case of need. Mansa Musa participatory approach can be proved through the fact that he conquered many kingdoms of strengthening the empire. Consequently, he sourced the best brains to enhance development in the Empire. In one incident, while on the return journey from Cairo, he sourced an Arab architect, Abu Ishak al-Sahili, who would become the lead architect in designing Malian mosques (Magil 2012). The hands-on approach by the emperor ensured sustenance of the kingdom despite the many conquered in Europe. Mali continued to develop under the watch of Mansa Musa. The ability to govern all aspects o the empire, ranging from business, construction and expansion expeditions earned the King respect and fame among his people (Zamosky 2007). He amassed a lot of wealth in his reign from doing business, mostly related to gold. As of 2013, Forbes magazine ranked him the richest man of all time. Mansa Musa behavior using the Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders by Kouzes and Posner Kouzess and porter designed the characteristics of an effective leader. An effective leader should; they Model the Way, Enable Others to Act, Challenge the Process, Inspire a Shared Vision, and Encourage the Heart. Model the way This behavior implies that leaders should act as good examples on how things should be done. A leader should take responsibility of initiating the way for his or her subjects to follow. Mansa Musa implied a perfect example of this behavior. He modeled the way for Malians. First, the king taught his people how the goals of the Malian empire could be pursued. He stated the methods as expansion of the territory, the largest trading kingdom in Africa. He also established close trade ties with neighbors by placing ambassadors in Morocco and Egypt. The king also set a culture of religion in Mali. He modeled the way by visiting the holy city of mecca for Hajj and creating various religious mosques all over the empire. He implied that Malians could do well if they observed the virtues of Islam. During his journey, he showed compassion to people in need. The attributes of the leader made him a source of inspiration to do good among his people. The king also emphasized on education and importance of enlightenment to the development of the empire. He wanted prosperous Malian with skilled people who could expand the economy. He laid foundations of education in Timbuktu, Walata and Jenne. The centers would produce Arabic literature sourced an architect from Spain to show that it was important to have skills. The Mansa also sent students to study in Morocco, an effort to enhance enlightenment in his empire. Inspire a Shared Vision A leader ought to inspire a new vision that would achieve better results, and convince people to adopt it. Mansa Musa shared his vision of an expansive Mali that could draw all its resources for the betterment of the empire. He dreamt of a strong and united Mali. It is notable to mention that at the time he inherited leadership, Mali was weak empire with few kingdoms. He took over with a vision to create a more stable empire where the emperor would have tight control. Musa shared a vision of how Mali should transform. The vision was solely meant to advantage Malians. He acted on issues that would guarantee development if adhered to. The issue of education, religion and culture was in the public interest and could also benefit the country (Zamosky 2007). He brought in education material and experts from his expeditions and also sent students to morocco to study. The leader was able to attract the citizens into his vision. Citizens would increase their activities in trade and mining. Consequently, his goal to see Mali as an enlightened society was fulfilled through education. He pioneered this by bringing in Arabic manuscripts that could be used to spread knowledge across the empire. Musa enabled people to see his vision as exciting and real that made people feel secure about the future of the empire. Consequently, his participation in the process enabled people to trust him and his plans for expansion of the territory, education and trade. Challenge the process Musa was utterly different in the way he handled governance of the kingdom. He asserted his grip on the kingdom than any other among his predecessors. He sought to change the situation by challenging the existing system and norms. The first instance of the change was manifested on his visit to Mecca for Hajj. He made the historical journeys in the largest convoys ever. The convoy was composed of 60000 people (slaves, relatives and workers) camels and horses. Each person would carry a piece of gold. The gold would be distributed along the way to needy people. Moreover, unlike his predecessors, he enhanced relations between Mali and other kingdoms he passed through by exchanging goodies. The exchange enhanced Mali reputation and also availed educational materials in his return journey from Mecca. Musa was amused by the impressive civilization in the Muslim world. He sought to change the Malian system accordingly. In this regard, he secured religious scholars and architects. He emphasized on the Islamic education that would enhance relations and boost business. His reasoning was echoed by the response of civilians and government officials who learnt Arabic and started to write in Arabic. This was a big achievement Mansa Musa. Mansa Musa divided the kingdom into provinces to ease governance. Each province was led by a governor who was responsible for all government activities in the province. Consequently, the governors provided the link through which people could reach the King. Division of the kingdom enhanced efficiency in governance and Musa’s grip on the Malian territory. Enable Others to Act Enabling others to act is a leadership trait that aims at discovering the potential of individuals. For long, it has been established that people behave differently under supervision and under no supervision. In this regard, giving people space to act under their own capacity is an ideal leadership trait. The trait was visible in the leadership style of King Musa. First, king Musa created provinces in his kingdom and selected people, called governors, to run the provinces. The king enabled them to perform administrative functions. This is an enabling action since the governors could decide the actions to take in their provinces, in consultation with the King. This implies that the governors had an opportunity to be heard and their opinions evaluated. The output was better than in situations where the king could make all decisions. Musa created trade opportunities and market for Malian commodities during is expeditions and visit to Mecca. This increased trade between his kingdom and other kingdoms. This act enables businessmen in Mali to trade with foreign partners thereby increasing the trade volume of Mali. Since Mali traded in high value goods that included gold and salt, the payoffs were high (Magil 2012). Consequently, sending ambassadors to morocco and Cairo was in the spirit of boosting trade between the two nations. He also enabled young people by taking them to morocco to study. Education, he believed, was the main reason why Arabs had developed their kingdoms in the Middle East, and he was ready to empower his people to build Mali. Encourage the Heart A good leader should recognize the efforts made by others in the fulfillment of the set objectives. During Mansa Musa tenure as Malian king, he benefited from unlimited support of his military, traders and the civilian population. He rewarded them in various ways. First, the military heroes who helped secure the kingdom were rewarded with gold, horses and massive pieces of land. This was meant to boost the morale of the military and individual efforts towards the maintenance of sovereign order in the kingdom. Second, the Malian lead rewarded his people with bountiful of gold whenever he visited. History has it that Musa carried large amounts of gold whenever he was on a journey and spend it by giving it to the people, freely. Giving out gold freely was a sign of goodwill and reward to his people for supporting him and his leadership. Moreover, the Malian leader maintained religious freedom in the kingdom where each religion was respected. In fact, the Malian leader had all religions practiced in his court. Finally, Mansa Musa rewarded traders by creating more trade opportunities. He created the opportunities through placing of ambassadors in various neighboring countries. The attaches’ would negotiate business on behalf of the Malian traders. Consequently, the military provided security to all trading routes tenure trade went on smoothly. Conclusion Mansa Musa reign was the most popular in the Malian empire. He had all the desirable qualities of an effective leader. His rise to power and maintenance of unity of the kingdom enabled Mali to be recognized throughout the continent and Europe as a possible trading partner. The leadership style of the king falls right into the Kouzes and Posner analysis on the characteristics of an effective leader. After his death, many leaders tried to emulate his participatory approach in leadership due to its outright success in Mali. References Magill, F. N. (2012). The Middle Ages: Dictionary of World Biography, Volume 2. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis Pancella, P. (2008). Mansa Musa: Ruler of Ancient Mali. Makati City: Paw Prints. Zamosky, L. (2007). Mansa Musa: Leader of Mali. Huntington Beach: Shell Education. Read More