Aguibu Tall

Aguibou Tall, son of Cheikh Oumar Tall, was the Faama of Dinguiraye and Massina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially a lieutenant of his older brother Ahmadu Tall, he betrayed the Toucouleur Empire to ally with the French. He remained in power after the French colonial conquest due to an alliance forged with general Louis Archinard.

Early life Aguibou Tall was born in either 1839 or 1842-3 to Omar Saidou Tall and his wife Mariatu, daughter of the Mai of Bornu. His father was at the time a prominent but not particularly important marabout living in the Futa Jallon. Aguibou was his ninth son.

After his father's death in 1864, Aguibou served his older half-brother Ahmadu Tall. From 1869-73 he was regent in Segou while Ahmadu was crushing a rebellion by other half-brothers in Nioro.

So in 1884, Aguibou first reached out to the French for military protection. Nothing came of this first attempt. In early 1887, however, the new Commandant Joseph Gallieni sent an emissary, and Aguibou signed a protectorate treaty on March 12th.

Relations between Aguibou and the French cooled significantly the next year, when Gallieni was replaced by the less diplomatic Louis Archinard. He wanted a military victory to improve his chances of promotion, and so seized the Toucouleur fortress at Koundian in February 1889. Aguibou reached out to Samory, and raided the region around the new French post at Siguiri. Soon, however, a new round of threats and luxurious gifts brought him back into the French fold. In May 1891, Dinguiraye was annexed directly, with a French garrison posted there; Aguibou was forced to accept this, as the French were his only protection against Samory.

In February 1903 Massina was formally integrated into the French empire, with Aguibou demoted to simply the chief of the local Futanke community.

Personal life Surviving portraits of Aguibou paint the picture of a complicated man. Many of his contemporaries considered him greedy, cruel, capricious and plaintive, and publicly criticized himself for collaborating with the French. At the same time, he protected many of his family from the French after the fall of Ahmadu's regime. He was not a religious fanatic or natural warrior, though he did have a reputation for personal bravery, and loved comfort and giving and receiving gifts. He was an avid collector of European furniture and other luxuries, which the French provided to him in exchange for his loyalty.

Aguibou was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for his services to France. Upon his death in 1907, he was buried with French military honors.