Alfa Yaya of Labé
Encyclopedia
Alfa Yaya Maudo, of Labé
in present-day Guinea
, was a 19th-century ruler of the Fula
people in the Fouta Djallon
confederacy that included the interior of much of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau
.
Alfa Yaya was the son of Alfa Molo who led the Siege of Kansala, the capital of the kingdom of Kaabu
. When the city fell after a long siege, ending Kaabu's independent existence, Alfa Molo married a Kaabu princess who gave birth to Alfa Yaya.
During his rule, the French
began pushing into the interior of Guinea. Alfa Yaya adopted a favorable stance toward the French, using them to enhance his own power, particularly from 1891 to 1896. His son was less favorable, and led a revolt that Alfa Yaya crushed.
Alfa Yaya made an accord with the French 10 February 1897, and proceeded to conquer other areas of Futa Jallon.
Alfa Yaya's relationship with the French went downhill in 1904, when French ceded part of Labé to the control of Portuguese Guinea
, effectively taking away part of Alfa Yaya's territory. He planned a revolt, but a spy gave him away; he was arrested and deported to Dahomey
in 1905. Released in 1910, he immediately began to organize resistance; he was again arrested in 1911 and taken to Port Etienne, where he died on 10 October 1912.
Labé
Labé is the main city and administrative capital of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. It has a population of about 58,649 . It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Conakry...
in present-day Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, was a 19th-century ruler of the Fula
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
people in the Fouta Djallon
Fouta Djallon
Fouta Djallon is a highland region in the centre of Guinea, West Africa. The indigenous name is Fuuta-Jaloo...
confederacy that included the interior of much of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
.
Alfa Yaya was the son of Alfa Molo who led the Siege of Kansala, the capital of the kingdom of Kaabu
Kaabu
The Kaabu Empire was a Mandinka Kingdom of Senegambia that rose to prominence in the region thanks to its origins as a former province of the Mali Empire...
. When the city fell after a long siege, ending Kaabu's independent existence, Alfa Molo married a Kaabu princess who gave birth to Alfa Yaya.
During his rule, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
began pushing into the interior of Guinea. Alfa Yaya adopted a favorable stance toward the French, using them to enhance his own power, particularly from 1891 to 1896. His son was less favorable, and led a revolt that Alfa Yaya crushed.
Alfa Yaya made an accord with the French 10 February 1897, and proceeded to conquer other areas of Futa Jallon.
Alfa Yaya's relationship with the French went downhill in 1904, when French ceded part of Labé to the control of Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
, effectively taking away part of Alfa Yaya's territory. He planned a revolt, but a spy gave him away; he was arrested and deported to Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
in 1905. Released in 1910, he immediately began to organize resistance; he was again arrested in 1911 and taken to Port Etienne, where he died on 10 October 1912.