Mohammed Bagayogo

Who was Mohammed Bagayogo?

Mohammed Bagayogo Es Sudane Al Wangari Al Timbukti was an eminent scholar from Timbuktu, Mali. He was the Sheik and professor of highly esteemed scholar, Ahmed Baba and teacher at the Sankore Madrasah, one of three philosophical schools in Mali during West Africa's golden age; the other two were Sidi Yahya University and Jingaray Ber university. He was born in Djenné in 1523. A significant amount of his writings has been preserved in manuscript form in Institute Ahmed Baba of Tombouctou, a repository for African literature. Some of the manuscripts found their way into French museums. A project is under way to digitalise these manuscripts which will lead to better understanding of the culture that flourished in Mali in the medieval period.

Mohammed Bagayogo also has a place in Mali history for his refusal to comply with Moroccan occupiers. He died on July 7, 1593 in what is now old town of Timbuktu.