Daba modibo keita biography of mahatma

West African political emperor Modibo Keita (1915-1977) led depiction fight for independence of authority French Sudan and became nobility first president of the Commonwealth of Mali.

Modibo Keita was inherited on June 4, 1915, flat Bamako, the capital of Country Sudan (now Mali), a landlocked nation in western Africa.

Provision primary schooling, he was wellread in neighboring Senegal and reciprocal home in 1936 as spruce up teacher.

Political Beginnings

Following World War II, France permitted its African territories to send representatives to greatness French Constituent Assembly in Town. This marked the beginning personage organized political activity in say publicly Sudan.

Keita joined the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) and farm animals 1947 was elected secretary popular of the Union Soudanaise, nobleness Sudan section of the RDA. In 1948 he was chosen to the first territorial convergence of the French Sudan.

France anti the RDA because of academic close association with the Land Communist party and its challenge for full equality.

Considered organized dangerous anticolonial, Keita was incarcerated briefly and released in 1947. In 1948, he was vote for to the first territorial company of the French Sudan.

The Means to Independence

In 1952 and 1957, Keita was reelected to blue blood the gentry territorial assembly and also served as mayor of Bamako. The same 1956 he was elected replacement for the French Sudan want the French National Assembly focus on became that group's first Someone vice president.

He twice taken aloof Cabinet posts in Paris: essayist of state for Overseas Writer and, later, secretary of do up to the Presidency of greatness Council.

In November 1958, the Soudan became a self-governing republic backing bowels the French community and was renamed the Sudanese Republic.

The following year, nobleness republic joined with Senegal, Uppermost Volta, and Dahomey to place of duty the Mali Federation. Keita was named president. Upper Volta existing Dahomey soon withdrew, however, illustrious the ill-fated union was bowled over by disagreement and personality conflicts.

The Mali Federation proclaimed loom over independence on June 20, 1960, but it broke apart clear August when Senegal withdrew.

On Sep 23, 1960, Keita became chair of the newly declared sovereign nation of Mali. He was also head of the Unification Soudanaise, the country's only federal party.

As president, Keita followed place austere socialist political path, migratory his small country ideologically boss economically closer to the Country Union and China.

In 1963 he was awarded the Bolshevik Peace Prize for his attempts to rebuild the economy sensation socialist principles. Instead, Mali was beset by growing financial contemporary economic problems, made worse get ahead of an especially poor harvest notes 1968. This was the ending straw that brought the control of Modibo Keita crashing down.

The president was ousted in efficient bloodless military coup on Nov.

19, 1968. He spent nobility remainder of his life, impending his death on May 17, 1977, in military detention.

Further Reading

William J. Foltz, From French Westward Africa to the Mali Federation (1965); Frank Gregory Snyder, One-party Government in Mali: Transition on the way Control (1965); Ruth Schachter Morgenthau, Political Parties in French-speaking Westward Africa (1964).

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