Why “MANDÉMORY”?
The launch of "Mandémory" law firm, fifteen days ago, received many positive reactions, particularly in relation to the choice of name. This deserved a few explanations (which will be a simple reminder for the knowers)! Here is a small historical and cultural detour, made of course under historians’ control.
The term Mandémory is actually made up of two words: “Mandé” and “Mory”.
« MANDÉ »
The Mandé, also called "Manden" or "Manding", is a region in West Africa, from which was born the Empire of Mali, founded in the 13th century by the legendary Soundjata Keïta, and which had its peak in the 14th century, under the reign of the famous Mansa Moussa. The former Empire of Mali was located where are the current Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.
We can read in the famous Mandé Charter, proclaimed in 1222: :
« All human life is a life.
It is true that one life comes into existence before another life,
But one life is not "older", more respectable than another life.
Just as one life is no better than another life. »
This was seven hundred years before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, which serves as a contemporary global reference in the matter.
« MORY »
The term "Mory" can be translated as "Marabout" in the sense of scholar on religious matters (as opposed to the fetishist marabout who promises miracles). It refers to the religious function held by people bearing the name Touré during the Mandé period, where Islam was present from the outset. They were not the only ones because the surname "Cissé", for example, also bears this "attribute" of "Mandémory".
OF THE SURNAME IN WEST AFRICA
This explanation would be incomplete if we did not mention the singular place of the surname in West Africa, which is reflected in the ritual of greetings: each of the parties inquires at length about the news of the other by questioning him on his health, his business, on each of the members of his family, all this while repeating his family name at will. The family name is thus a distinctive label which enables to flatter the lineage of the interlocutor. It is therefore not uncommon for an exalted friend or griot to exclaim “Touré Mandémory!” by greeting or thanking his interlocutor. This rule of course applies to other surnames with their own history and "attribute".
