Quote by Samori Touré: “My land and my people will never fall under the domination of strangers.”

This firm declaration underscores Samori Touré's absolute commitment to defending his territory and people from foreign control. It reflects an unyielding resolve to maintain independence, prioritizing the sovereignty of his empire above all else.

Samori Touré spent decades fiercely resisting French expansion into his Wassoulou Empire. His military genius and diplomatic efforts were consistently aimed at preventing the colonization of his lands and subjects.

Mandinka emperor and military leader who built the Wassoulou Empire in West Africa and led one of the most sustained military resistances against French colonial expansion in the late nineteenth century. He was captured by the French in 1898 and died in captivity in 1900.