June 8, 2015<\/p>\n
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Queen <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nNdate Yalla Mbodj:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n Senegalese Queen<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n leading the<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n Resistance against<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n French\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nColonization<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
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![\"Queen](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/ndate-yalla-mbodj-01.png\")
<\/a>Queen Ndate Yalla Mbodj (from the cover of Kings and Queens of West Africa, by S. Diouf)<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nIn\u00a01855, when the French arrived to colonize\u00a0Senegal<\/a>,\u00a0the first power of resistance they encountered was a woman. Her name was:\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj.\u00a0While in France, women were not recognized as citizens until\u00a090 years later, the French were stunned by this woman of beautiful stature, face, and strong body, and who headed an immense army. She was a beautiful and proud warrior, who inherited a rich tradition of bravery and gallantry.<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0or Queen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj\u00a0(1810 \u2013 1860) was the last great queen of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>, a kingdom in the northwest of modern-day\u00a0Senegal<\/a>.\u00a0 She was a heroine of the resistance against French colonization and Moors invasion. She was also the mother of\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop\u00a0or\u00a0Sidya Ndate Yalla Diop, who went on to become one the greatest resistants to the colonization of Senegal.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Map](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/ndate-yalla-mbodj-02.jpg\")
<\/a>Map of modern-day Senegal<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen Ndate succeeded to her sister\u00a0Ndjeumbeut Mbodj. She was officially crowned\u00a0Queen of the Waaloon\u00a0October 1st<\/sup>\u00a01846\u00a0in\u00a0Ndar\u00a0(now called\u00a0St Louis<\/a>), the capital of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>.\u00a0 Her reign was marked by an ongoing defiance of the French against which she fought a fierce battle. By\u00a01847, she opposed the free passage of\u00a0Sarakol\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0people by sending a letter to the governor expressing her willingness to defend the respect of her sovereignty over the valley in these terms: \u201cWe guarantee and control the passage of cattle in our country and we will not accept it the other way. Each leader governs his country as he pleases.<\/em>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Warrior](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/ndate-yalla-mbodj-03.jpg\")
<\/a>Warrior from the Waalo Kingdom, 1846<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nShe fought both the Moors who happen to encroach on her territory, and the colonialist army led by\u00a0Louis Faidherbe<\/a>, the butcher, and bandit, who later became governor of\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0and colonial head of administration and army. Almost\u00a010 years\u00a0into her reign in\u00a01855, she encountered the greatest colonialist pirate Faidherbe, with\u00a0an army of 15,000 strong, fully armed and ready to fight her, dethrone her, and colonize\u00a0Waalo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Senegal<\/a>. Faidherbe defeated her army in bloody battles, before capturing\u00a0St Louis<\/a>. In\u00a0February 1855, while the Faidherbe\u2019s troops were entering the Waalo, the\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0spoke to the principal dignitaries of her country as such: \u201cToday, we are invaded by the conquerors.\u00a0 Our army is in disarray.\u00a0 The tiedos of the Waalo, as brave warriors as they are, have almost all fallen under the enemy\u2019s bullets.\u00a0 The invader is stronger than us, I know, but should we abandon the Waalo to foreign hands<\/em>?\u201d (Aujourd\u2019hui nous sommes envahis par les conqu\u00e9rants. Notre arm\u00e9e est en d\u00e9route. Les\u00a0ti\u00e9dos<\/a>\u00a0du Walo, si vaillants guerriers soient-ils, sont presque tous tomb\u00e9s sous les balles de l\u2019ennemi. L\u2019envahisseur est plus fort que nous, je le sais, mais devrions-nous abandonner le Walo aux mains des \u00e9trangers?<\/em>) \u2026 \u201cThis country is mine alone<\/em>!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe eventually lost the battle, but not the war; which continued to be a war of resistance until the early part of the twentieth century by\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>,\u00a0and many other \u2018Gelewars\u2019. This conquest would forever change the trajectory of her reign and the geopolitical, military, and geographical road map of\u00a0Senegambia<\/a>, \u201cGanaar\u201d (now called\u00a0Mauritania<\/a>),\u00a0Mali<\/a>\u00a0(formerly called\u00a0French Sudan<\/a>), and\u00a0Fouta<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Senegambia](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/ndate-yalla-mbodj-04-1024x617.jpg\")
<\/a>Senegambia in 1707, with the Kingdom of Waalo written as \u2018R. d\u2019Oualle ou de Brak\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nHer father was\u00a0Brak<\/a>\u00a0(King)\u00a0Amar Fatim Borso Mbodj, and mother was\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0(Queen)\u00a0Awo Fatim Yamar Khuri Yaye Mboge.\u00a0Her son,\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop, who would later too become an anti colonialist, and fight the French until his capture, and exile to die in\u00a0Gabon<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a01878. Her son\u00a0Sidya\u00a0was captured as a hostage in\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0by General Faidherbe during their bloody war with Ndate, and was baptized \u2018Leone\u2019 and sent to\u00a0Algiers<\/a>\u00a0for schooling in\u00a01861. When he returned to Senegal two years later in\u00a01863, he was enlisted in the French colonial army; the first African or Senegalese to hold such a post. But as the saying goes \u2014like mother, like son, he refused to do their dirty job of joining forces with the European colonial foreigners and mercenary apparatus, against his mother\u2019s kingdom and people. He then changed strategy and rallied with\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>\u00a0and others, which resulted in his betrayal, and capture by the colonial forces; and exile to Gabon (just like\u00a0Samori Toure<\/a>).<\/p>\n![\"Ndate](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/ndate-yalla-mbodj-05.jpg\")
<\/a>Ndate Yalla Mbodj<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj, as a true \u2018lingeer\u2019, developed the women\u2019s army as one of the most formidable forces to recon with in her reign. The story of this Senegambia Queen is best amplified in oral tradition by the local griots. Her women army was similar to the \u201cAmazon\u201d women army of Benin,\u00a0Behanzin<\/a>\u2019s fearless protective women\u2019s army. She later went into exile in\u00a0Ndimb\u00a0in the northern part of the Waalo and died in\u00a0Dagana, where today a statue has been erected in her honor (the only one erected in honor of a queen nationwide). To learn more, check out:\u00a0Maafanta.com<\/a>,\u00a0Matricien.org<\/a>,\u00a0au-Senegal.com<\/a>;\u00a0the book\u00a0Kings and Queens of West Africa<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Sylviane Diouf has an entire chapter dedicated to this great queen.<\/span><\/p>\n
Senegalese Queen<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n leading the<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n Resistance against<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n French\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nColonization<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/a>Queen Ndate Yalla Mbodj (from the cover of Kings and Queens of West Africa, by S. Diouf)<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nIn\u00a01855, when the French arrived to colonize\u00a0Senegal<\/a>,\u00a0the first power of resistance they encountered was a woman. Her name was:\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj.\u00a0While in France, women were not recognized as citizens until\u00a090 years later, the French were stunned by this woman of beautiful stature, face, and strong body, and who headed an immense army. She was a beautiful and proud warrior, who inherited a rich tradition of bravery and gallantry.<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0or Queen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj\u00a0(1810 \u2013 1860) was the last great queen of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>, a kingdom in the northwest of modern-day\u00a0Senegal<\/a>.\u00a0 She was a heroine of the resistance against French colonization and Moors invasion. She was also the mother of\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop\u00a0or\u00a0Sidya Ndate Yalla Diop, who went on to become one the greatest resistants to the colonization of Senegal.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Map of modern-day Senegal<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen Ndate succeeded to her sister\u00a0Ndjeumbeut Mbodj. She was officially crowned\u00a0Queen of the Waaloon\u00a0October 1st<\/sup>\u00a01846\u00a0in\u00a0Ndar\u00a0(now called\u00a0St Louis<\/a>), the capital of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>.\u00a0 Her reign was marked by an ongoing defiance of the French against which she fought a fierce battle. By\u00a01847, she opposed the free passage of\u00a0Sarakol\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0people by sending a letter to the governor expressing her willingness to defend the respect of her sovereignty over the valley in these terms: \u201cWe guarantee and control the passage of cattle in our country and we will not accept it the other way. Each leader governs his country as he pleases.<\/em>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Warrior from the Waalo Kingdom, 1846<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nShe fought both the Moors who happen to encroach on her territory, and the colonialist army led by\u00a0Louis Faidherbe<\/a>, the butcher, and bandit, who later became governor of\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0and colonial head of administration and army. Almost\u00a010 years\u00a0into her reign in\u00a01855, she encountered the greatest colonialist pirate Faidherbe, with\u00a0an army of 15,000 strong, fully armed and ready to fight her, dethrone her, and colonize\u00a0Waalo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Senegal<\/a>. Faidherbe defeated her army in bloody battles, before capturing\u00a0St Louis<\/a>. In\u00a0February 1855, while the Faidherbe\u2019s troops were entering the Waalo, the\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0spoke to the principal dignitaries of her country as such: \u201cToday, we are invaded by the conquerors.\u00a0 Our army is in disarray.\u00a0 The tiedos of the Waalo, as brave warriors as they are, have almost all fallen under the enemy\u2019s bullets.\u00a0 The invader is stronger than us, I know, but should we abandon the Waalo to foreign hands<\/em>?\u201d (Aujourd\u2019hui nous sommes envahis par les conqu\u00e9rants. Notre arm\u00e9e est en d\u00e9route. Les\u00a0ti\u00e9dos<\/a>\u00a0du Walo, si vaillants guerriers soient-ils, sont presque tous tomb\u00e9s sous les balles de l\u2019ennemi. L\u2019envahisseur est plus fort que nous, je le sais, mais devrions-nous abandonner le Walo aux mains des \u00e9trangers?<\/em>) \u2026 \u201cThis country is mine alone<\/em>!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe eventually lost the battle, but not the war; which continued to be a war of resistance until the early part of the twentieth century by\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>,\u00a0and many other \u2018Gelewars\u2019. This conquest would forever change the trajectory of her reign and the geopolitical, military, and geographical road map of\u00a0Senegambia<\/a>, \u201cGanaar\u201d (now called\u00a0Mauritania<\/a>),\u00a0Mali<\/a>\u00a0(formerly called\u00a0French Sudan<\/a>), and\u00a0Fouta<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Senegambia in 1707, with the Kingdom of Waalo written as \u2018R. d\u2019Oualle ou de Brak\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nHer father was\u00a0Brak<\/a>\u00a0(King)\u00a0Amar Fatim Borso Mbodj, and mother was\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0(Queen)\u00a0Awo Fatim Yamar Khuri Yaye Mboge.\u00a0Her son,\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop, who would later too become an anti colonialist, and fight the French until his capture, and exile to die in\u00a0Gabon<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a01878. Her son\u00a0Sidya\u00a0was captured as a hostage in\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0by General Faidherbe during their bloody war with Ndate, and was baptized \u2018Leone\u2019 and sent to\u00a0Algiers<\/a>\u00a0for schooling in\u00a01861. When he returned to Senegal two years later in\u00a01863, he was enlisted in the French colonial army; the first African or Senegalese to hold such a post. But as the saying goes \u2014like mother, like son, he refused to do their dirty job of joining forces with the European colonial foreigners and mercenary apparatus, against his mother\u2019s kingdom and people. He then changed strategy and rallied with\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>\u00a0and others, which resulted in his betrayal, and capture by the colonial forces; and exile to Gabon (just like\u00a0Samori Toure<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/a>Ndate Yalla Mbodj<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj, as a true \u2018lingeer\u2019, developed the women\u2019s army as one of the most formidable forces to recon with in her reign. The story of this Senegambia Queen is best amplified in oral tradition by the local griots. Her women army was similar to the \u201cAmazon\u201d women army of Benin,\u00a0Behanzin<\/a>\u2019s fearless protective women\u2019s army. She later went into exile in\u00a0Ndimb\u00a0in the northern part of the Waalo and died in\u00a0Dagana, where today a statue has been erected in her honor (the only one erected in honor of a queen nationwide). To learn more, check out:\u00a0Maafanta.com<\/a>,\u00a0Matricien.org<\/a>,\u00a0au-Senegal.com<\/a>;\u00a0the book\u00a0Kings and Queens of West Africa<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Sylviane Diouf has an entire chapter dedicated to this great queen.<\/span><\/p>\n
Resistance against<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n French\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nColonization<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/a>Queen Ndate Yalla Mbodj (from the cover of Kings and Queens of West Africa, by S. Diouf)<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nIn\u00a01855, when the French arrived to colonize\u00a0Senegal<\/a>,\u00a0the first power of resistance they encountered was a woman. Her name was:\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj.\u00a0While in France, women were not recognized as citizens until\u00a090 years later, the French were stunned by this woman of beautiful stature, face, and strong body, and who headed an immense army. She was a beautiful and proud warrior, who inherited a rich tradition of bravery and gallantry.<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0or Queen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj\u00a0(1810 \u2013 1860) was the last great queen of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>, a kingdom in the northwest of modern-day\u00a0Senegal<\/a>.\u00a0 She was a heroine of the resistance against French colonization and Moors invasion. She was also the mother of\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop\u00a0or\u00a0Sidya Ndate Yalla Diop, who went on to become one the greatest resistants to the colonization of Senegal.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Map of modern-day Senegal<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen Ndate succeeded to her sister\u00a0Ndjeumbeut Mbodj. She was officially crowned\u00a0Queen of the Waaloon\u00a0October 1st<\/sup>\u00a01846\u00a0in\u00a0Ndar\u00a0(now called\u00a0St Louis<\/a>), the capital of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>.\u00a0 Her reign was marked by an ongoing defiance of the French against which she fought a fierce battle. By\u00a01847, she opposed the free passage of\u00a0Sarakol\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0people by sending a letter to the governor expressing her willingness to defend the respect of her sovereignty over the valley in these terms: \u201cWe guarantee and control the passage of cattle in our country and we will not accept it the other way. Each leader governs his country as he pleases.<\/em>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Warrior from the Waalo Kingdom, 1846<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nShe fought both the Moors who happen to encroach on her territory, and the colonialist army led by\u00a0Louis Faidherbe<\/a>, the butcher, and bandit, who later became governor of\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0and colonial head of administration and army. Almost\u00a010 years\u00a0into her reign in\u00a01855, she encountered the greatest colonialist pirate Faidherbe, with\u00a0an army of 15,000 strong, fully armed and ready to fight her, dethrone her, and colonize\u00a0Waalo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Senegal<\/a>. Faidherbe defeated her army in bloody battles, before capturing\u00a0St Louis<\/a>. In\u00a0February 1855, while the Faidherbe\u2019s troops were entering the Waalo, the\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0spoke to the principal dignitaries of her country as such: \u201cToday, we are invaded by the conquerors.\u00a0 Our army is in disarray.\u00a0 The tiedos of the Waalo, as brave warriors as they are, have almost all fallen under the enemy\u2019s bullets.\u00a0 The invader is stronger than us, I know, but should we abandon the Waalo to foreign hands<\/em>?\u201d (Aujourd\u2019hui nous sommes envahis par les conqu\u00e9rants. Notre arm\u00e9e est en d\u00e9route. Les\u00a0ti\u00e9dos<\/a>\u00a0du Walo, si vaillants guerriers soient-ils, sont presque tous tomb\u00e9s sous les balles de l\u2019ennemi. L\u2019envahisseur est plus fort que nous, je le sais, mais devrions-nous abandonner le Walo aux mains des \u00e9trangers?<\/em>) \u2026 \u201cThis country is mine alone<\/em>!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe eventually lost the battle, but not the war; which continued to be a war of resistance until the early part of the twentieth century by\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>,\u00a0and many other \u2018Gelewars\u2019. This conquest would forever change the trajectory of her reign and the geopolitical, military, and geographical road map of\u00a0Senegambia<\/a>, \u201cGanaar\u201d (now called\u00a0Mauritania<\/a>),\u00a0Mali<\/a>\u00a0(formerly called\u00a0French Sudan<\/a>), and\u00a0Fouta<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Senegambia in 1707, with the Kingdom of Waalo written as \u2018R. d\u2019Oualle ou de Brak\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nHer father was\u00a0Brak<\/a>\u00a0(King)\u00a0Amar Fatim Borso Mbodj, and mother was\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0(Queen)\u00a0Awo Fatim Yamar Khuri Yaye Mboge.\u00a0Her son,\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop, who would later too become an anti colonialist, and fight the French until his capture, and exile to die in\u00a0Gabon<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a01878. Her son\u00a0Sidya\u00a0was captured as a hostage in\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0by General Faidherbe during their bloody war with Ndate, and was baptized \u2018Leone\u2019 and sent to\u00a0Algiers<\/a>\u00a0for schooling in\u00a01861. When he returned to Senegal two years later in\u00a01863, he was enlisted in the French colonial army; the first African or Senegalese to hold such a post. But as the saying goes \u2014like mother, like son, he refused to do their dirty job of joining forces with the European colonial foreigners and mercenary apparatus, against his mother\u2019s kingdom and people. He then changed strategy and rallied with\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>\u00a0and others, which resulted in his betrayal, and capture by the colonial forces; and exile to Gabon (just like\u00a0Samori Toure<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/a>Ndate Yalla Mbodj<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj, as a true \u2018lingeer\u2019, developed the women\u2019s army as one of the most formidable forces to recon with in her reign. The story of this Senegambia Queen is best amplified in oral tradition by the local griots. Her women army was similar to the \u201cAmazon\u201d women army of Benin,\u00a0Behanzin<\/a>\u2019s fearless protective women\u2019s army. She later went into exile in\u00a0Ndimb\u00a0in the northern part of the Waalo and died in\u00a0Dagana, where today a statue has been erected in her honor (the only one erected in honor of a queen nationwide). To learn more, check out:\u00a0Maafanta.com<\/a>,\u00a0Matricien.org<\/a>,\u00a0au-Senegal.com<\/a>;\u00a0the book\u00a0Kings and Queens of West Africa<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Sylviane Diouf has an entire chapter dedicated to this great queen.<\/span><\/p>\n
Colonization<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/a>Queen Ndate Yalla Mbodj (from the cover of Kings and Queens of West Africa, by S. Diouf)<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nIn\u00a01855, when the French arrived to colonize\u00a0Senegal<\/a>,\u00a0the first power of resistance they encountered was a woman. Her name was:\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj.\u00a0While in France, women were not recognized as citizens until\u00a090 years later, the French were stunned by this woman of beautiful stature, face, and strong body, and who headed an immense army. She was a beautiful and proud warrior, who inherited a rich tradition of bravery and gallantry.<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0or Queen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj\u00a0(1810 \u2013 1860) was the last great queen of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>, a kingdom in the northwest of modern-day\u00a0Senegal<\/a>.\u00a0 She was a heroine of the resistance against French colonization and Moors invasion. She was also the mother of\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop\u00a0or\u00a0Sidya Ndate Yalla Diop, who went on to become one the greatest resistants to the colonization of Senegal.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Map of modern-day Senegal<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen Ndate succeeded to her sister\u00a0Ndjeumbeut Mbodj. She was officially crowned\u00a0Queen of the Waaloon\u00a0October 1st<\/sup>\u00a01846\u00a0in\u00a0Ndar\u00a0(now called\u00a0St Louis<\/a>), the capital of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>.\u00a0 Her reign was marked by an ongoing defiance of the French against which she fought a fierce battle. By\u00a01847, she opposed the free passage of\u00a0Sarakol\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0people by sending a letter to the governor expressing her willingness to defend the respect of her sovereignty over the valley in these terms: \u201cWe guarantee and control the passage of cattle in our country and we will not accept it the other way. Each leader governs his country as he pleases.<\/em>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Warrior from the Waalo Kingdom, 1846<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nShe fought both the Moors who happen to encroach on her territory, and the colonialist army led by\u00a0Louis Faidherbe<\/a>, the butcher, and bandit, who later became governor of\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0and colonial head of administration and army. Almost\u00a010 years\u00a0into her reign in\u00a01855, she encountered the greatest colonialist pirate Faidherbe, with\u00a0an army of 15,000 strong, fully armed and ready to fight her, dethrone her, and colonize\u00a0Waalo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Senegal<\/a>. Faidherbe defeated her army in bloody battles, before capturing\u00a0St Louis<\/a>. In\u00a0February 1855, while the Faidherbe\u2019s troops were entering the Waalo, the\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0spoke to the principal dignitaries of her country as such: \u201cToday, we are invaded by the conquerors.\u00a0 Our army is in disarray.\u00a0 The tiedos of the Waalo, as brave warriors as they are, have almost all fallen under the enemy\u2019s bullets.\u00a0 The invader is stronger than us, I know, but should we abandon the Waalo to foreign hands<\/em>?\u201d (Aujourd\u2019hui nous sommes envahis par les conqu\u00e9rants. Notre arm\u00e9e est en d\u00e9route. Les\u00a0ti\u00e9dos<\/a>\u00a0du Walo, si vaillants guerriers soient-ils, sont presque tous tomb\u00e9s sous les balles de l\u2019ennemi. L\u2019envahisseur est plus fort que nous, je le sais, mais devrions-nous abandonner le Walo aux mains des \u00e9trangers?<\/em>) \u2026 \u201cThis country is mine alone<\/em>!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe eventually lost the battle, but not the war; which continued to be a war of resistance until the early part of the twentieth century by\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>,\u00a0and many other \u2018Gelewars\u2019. This conquest would forever change the trajectory of her reign and the geopolitical, military, and geographical road map of\u00a0Senegambia<\/a>, \u201cGanaar\u201d (now called\u00a0Mauritania<\/a>),\u00a0Mali<\/a>\u00a0(formerly called\u00a0French Sudan<\/a>), and\u00a0Fouta<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Senegambia in 1707, with the Kingdom of Waalo written as \u2018R. d\u2019Oualle ou de Brak\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nHer father was\u00a0Brak<\/a>\u00a0(King)\u00a0Amar Fatim Borso Mbodj, and mother was\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0(Queen)\u00a0Awo Fatim Yamar Khuri Yaye Mboge.\u00a0Her son,\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop, who would later too become an anti colonialist, and fight the French until his capture, and exile to die in\u00a0Gabon<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a01878. Her son\u00a0Sidya\u00a0was captured as a hostage in\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0by General Faidherbe during their bloody war with Ndate, and was baptized \u2018Leone\u2019 and sent to\u00a0Algiers<\/a>\u00a0for schooling in\u00a01861. When he returned to Senegal two years later in\u00a01863, he was enlisted in the French colonial army; the first African or Senegalese to hold such a post. But as the saying goes \u2014like mother, like son, he refused to do their dirty job of joining forces with the European colonial foreigners and mercenary apparatus, against his mother\u2019s kingdom and people. He then changed strategy and rallied with\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>\u00a0and others, which resulted in his betrayal, and capture by the colonial forces; and exile to Gabon (just like\u00a0Samori Toure<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/a>Ndate Yalla Mbodj<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\nQueen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj, as a true \u2018lingeer\u2019, developed the women\u2019s army as one of the most formidable forces to recon with in her reign. The story of this Senegambia Queen is best amplified in oral tradition by the local griots. Her women army was similar to the \u201cAmazon\u201d women army of Benin,\u00a0Behanzin<\/a>\u2019s fearless protective women\u2019s army. She later went into exile in\u00a0Ndimb\u00a0in the northern part of the Waalo and died in\u00a0Dagana, where today a statue has been erected in her honor (the only one erected in honor of a queen nationwide). To learn more, check out:\u00a0Maafanta.com<\/a>,\u00a0Matricien.org<\/a>,\u00a0au-Senegal.com<\/a>;\u00a0the book\u00a0Kings and Queens of West Africa<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Sylviane Diouf has an entire chapter dedicated to this great queen.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/a>Queen Ndate Yalla Mbodj (from the cover of Kings and Queens of West Africa, by S. Diouf)<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n In\u00a01855, when the French arrived to colonize\u00a0Senegal<\/a>,\u00a0the first power of resistance they encountered was a woman. Her name was:\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj.\u00a0While in France, women were not recognized as citizens until\u00a090 years later, the French were stunned by this woman of beautiful stature, face, and strong body, and who headed an immense army. She was a beautiful and proud warrior, who inherited a rich tradition of bravery and gallantry.<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0or Queen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj\u00a0(1810 \u2013 1860) was the last great queen of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>, a kingdom in the northwest of modern-day\u00a0Senegal<\/a>.\u00a0 She was a heroine of the resistance against French colonization and Moors invasion. She was also the mother of\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop\u00a0or\u00a0Sidya Ndate Yalla Diop, who went on to become one the greatest resistants to the colonization of Senegal.<\/span><\/p>\n Map of modern-day Senegal<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Queen Ndate succeeded to her sister\u00a0Ndjeumbeut Mbodj. She was officially crowned\u00a0Queen of the Waaloon\u00a0October 1st<\/sup>\u00a01846\u00a0in\u00a0Ndar\u00a0(now called\u00a0St Louis<\/a>), the capital of the\u00a0Waalo<\/a>.\u00a0 Her reign was marked by an ongoing defiance of the French against which she fought a fierce battle. By\u00a01847, she opposed the free passage of\u00a0Sarakol\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0people by sending a letter to the governor expressing her willingness to defend the respect of her sovereignty over the valley in these terms: \u201cWe guarantee and control the passage of cattle in our country and we will not accept it the other way. Each leader governs his country as he pleases.<\/em>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n Warrior from the Waalo Kingdom, 1846<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n She fought both the Moors who happen to encroach on her territory, and the colonialist army led by\u00a0Louis Faidherbe<\/a>, the butcher, and bandit, who later became governor of\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0and colonial head of administration and army. Almost\u00a010 years\u00a0into her reign in\u00a01855, she encountered the greatest colonialist pirate Faidherbe, with\u00a0an army of 15,000 strong, fully armed and ready to fight her, dethrone her, and colonize\u00a0Waalo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Senegal<\/a>. Faidherbe defeated her army in bloody battles, before capturing\u00a0St Louis<\/a>. In\u00a0February 1855, while the Faidherbe\u2019s troops were entering the Waalo, the\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0spoke to the principal dignitaries of her country as such: \u201cToday, we are invaded by the conquerors.\u00a0 Our army is in disarray.\u00a0 The tiedos of the Waalo, as brave warriors as they are, have almost all fallen under the enemy\u2019s bullets.\u00a0 The invader is stronger than us, I know, but should we abandon the Waalo to foreign hands<\/em>?\u201d (Aujourd\u2019hui nous sommes envahis par les conqu\u00e9rants. Notre arm\u00e9e est en d\u00e9route. Les\u00a0ti\u00e9dos<\/a>\u00a0du Walo, si vaillants guerriers soient-ils, sont presque tous tomb\u00e9s sous les balles de l\u2019ennemi. L\u2019envahisseur est plus fort que nous, je le sais, mais devrions-nous abandonner le Walo aux mains des \u00e9trangers?<\/em>) \u2026 \u201cThis country is mine alone<\/em>!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She eventually lost the battle, but not the war; which continued to be a war of resistance until the early part of the twentieth century by\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>,\u00a0and many other \u2018Gelewars\u2019. This conquest would forever change the trajectory of her reign and the geopolitical, military, and geographical road map of\u00a0Senegambia<\/a>, \u201cGanaar\u201d (now called\u00a0Mauritania<\/a>),\u00a0Mali<\/a>\u00a0(formerly called\u00a0French Sudan<\/a>), and\u00a0Fouta<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Senegambia in 1707, with the Kingdom of Waalo written as \u2018R. d\u2019Oualle ou de Brak\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Her father was\u00a0Brak<\/a>\u00a0(King)\u00a0Amar Fatim Borso Mbodj, and mother was\u00a0Lingeer<\/a>\u00a0(Queen)\u00a0Awo Fatim Yamar Khuri Yaye Mboge.\u00a0Her son,\u00a0Sidya Leon Diop, who would later too become an anti colonialist, and fight the French until his capture, and exile to die in\u00a0Gabon<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a01878. Her son\u00a0Sidya\u00a0was captured as a hostage in\u00a0St Louis<\/a>\u00a0by General Faidherbe during their bloody war with Ndate, and was baptized \u2018Leone\u2019 and sent to\u00a0Algiers<\/a>\u00a0for schooling in\u00a01861. When he returned to Senegal two years later in\u00a01863, he was enlisted in the French colonial army; the first African or Senegalese to hold such a post. But as the saying goes \u2014like mother, like son, he refused to do their dirty job of joining forces with the European colonial foreigners and mercenary apparatus, against his mother\u2019s kingdom and people. He then changed strategy and rallied with\u00a0Lat Dior Diop<\/a>\u00a0and others, which resulted in his betrayal, and capture by the colonial forces; and exile to Gabon (just like\u00a0Samori Toure<\/a>).<\/p>\n Ndate Yalla Mbodj<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Queen\u00a0Ndate Yalla Mbodj, as a true \u2018lingeer\u2019, developed the women\u2019s army as one of the most formidable forces to recon with in her reign. The story of this Senegambia Queen is best amplified in oral tradition by the local griots. Her women army was similar to the \u201cAmazon\u201d women army of Benin,\u00a0Behanzin<\/a>\u2019s fearless protective women\u2019s army. She later went into exile in\u00a0Ndimb\u00a0in the northern part of the Waalo and died in\u00a0Dagana, where today a statue has been erected in her honor (the only one erected in honor of a queen nationwide). To learn more, check out:\u00a0Maafanta.com<\/a>,\u00a0Matricien.org<\/a>,\u00a0au-Senegal.com<\/a>;\u00a0the book\u00a0Kings and Queens of West Africa<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Sylviane Diouf has an entire chapter dedicated to this great queen.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>