Beledougou is an historic region of the pre-colonial Bambara Empire

Bambara Empire

The Bamana Empire was a large pre-colonial West African state based at Ségou, now in Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established circa 1640 by Kaladian Coulibaly also known as Fa Sine or Biton-si-u...

 in today's central Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

. In the Bambara language

Bambara language

Bambara, more correctly known as Bamanankan , its designation in the language itself , is a language spoken in Mali by as many as six million people...

 the name literally means "County of the gravel".

A dry land on the interface of the Sahel

Sahel

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....

 and the wetter Sudan

Sudan (region)

The Sudan is the name given to a geographic region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western to Eastern Africa. The name derives from the Arabic bilâd as-sûdân or "land of the Blacks"...

, it was populated by a loose confederation Bambara farming communities. Its area falls in today's Koulikoro Region

Koulikoro Region

Koulikoro is a region in Mali. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km². Its capital is the city of Koulikoro.- Geography :...

, primarily in Kolokani Cercle

Kolokani Cercle

Kolokani Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Kolokani, which is also its largest settlement. It lies directly to the north of Kati Cercle. Also to the south, is the District of Bamako, which after independence was carved out of the...

, Koulikoro Cercle

Koulikoro Cercle

Koulikoro Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Koulikoro, which is also the capital of the region. A major trade and industrial town on the Niger River, Koulikoro has been surpassed by Kati to the west as the largest town in the region...

, Banamba Cercle

Banamba Cercle

Banamba Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Banamba, which is also its largest settlement...

, and parts of Nara Cercle

Nara Cercle

Nara Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its seat is the town of Nara, which is also the capital of its Region and its largest town. The cercle is divided into communes, and below this, Quarters/Villages....

. Much of pre-colonial Beledougou remained staunchly animist after the fall of the Bambara Empire

Bambara Empire

The Bamana Empire was a large pre-colonial West African state based at Ségou, now in Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established circa 1640 by Kaladian Coulibaly also known as Fa Sine or Biton-si-u...

. In 1915, it was the scene of a major revolt against French

French West Africa

French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...

 forced conscription, in a rising led by Koumi Diosse Traore.