Country report (step1)

My parents are originally from West Africa and my family was very much involved in politics during a certain period before and after the independence of the Republic of Guinea. Growing up, I was exposed to politics and became very fascinated by it.

I am writing this report on West Africa to have a more in depth knowledge about the area and to have a better understanding about the political system that is in place in two (2) French speaking countries of the region: Guinea and Mali. I will also write about Saudi Arabia for religious reasons as Islam is my religion.

GUINEA:  Formerly known as French Guinea, Guinea is an old French colony. It became officially independent on October 2, 1958 after a referendum that was held on September 28, 1958 and the people of Guinea chose their independence rather than staying under the French colonial system. Ahmed Sekou Touré, first president of Guinea (1958-1984) led the fight for independence with many other heroes of the country. Guinea is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Mali, on the south by Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. The country is divided in four (4) natural regions: Lower Guinea (French: Basse Guinée), Middle Guinea (Moyenne Guinée), Upper Guinea (Haute Guinée), and Forest Guinea (Guinée Forestière). French is the official language of the country and multiple dialects such as: Susu, Fula, Mandingo, Kissi, Toma etc…. are also spoken in Guinea. Due to the fact that my father and my mother are from different ethnic groups, I am able to speak my father’s dialect which is Mandingo , my mother’s Fula , and Susu as I was born in Conakry the capital and largest city where Susu is the dominant dialect .

Guinea has a population estimated at about 10 million people and the climate is a tropical humid climate. The current president is Alpha Condé and the regime is a presidential regime with the president having pretty much all the power. There’s a national assembly for checks & balances but it is controlled by the seating president .There’s an opposition , but they seem to be more concern about trying to be next in power than fighting to bring changes to have a stable democracy .

MALI:  “Formerly the Sudanese Republic (French Soudan) , it holds the lands where the most famous of the early West African empires were centered-Ghana, the Mandingan empire of Mali and the kingdom of the Songhai.”(1) (Lucile Carlson, Africa’s Lands And Nations, Mc Graw-Hill Book Company, 1967 Chap 10-page163). Mali became independent on June 20, 1960 from France. French is the official language of the country and Bambara is the dominant dialect of the country. Mali has multiple ethnic groups such as: Mande, Shongai, Tuareg etc…. and some of its ethnic groups are also found in Guinea (Fula and Malinke or Mandingo). The government in Mali is similar to the one in Guinea with a president as head of State, an acting prime minister who’s the chief of the government and national assembly for checks & balances.

Saudi Arabia:  “ Saudi  Arabia is a country of startling contrast--- a huge land mass and small population; a barren desert terrain situated over great oil wealth; a traditional Islamic society undergoing rapid modernization; a closed society that is often in the news.”(2) (David E. Long, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, University Press of Florida, 1997 Chap 1-page1)

It is the largest Arab State in Western Asia by land and the Kingdom was founded in 1932 by HRH King Abdul-Aziz bin Saud. The government attempts to functions as an Islamic system of government which is contested by many due to its basis on Wahabbism and Salafism that ere two school of thoughts in certain Muslim countries.

Work cited:

(1)   (Lucile Carlson, Africa’s Lands And Nations, Mc Graw-Hill Book Company, 1967 Chap 10-page163)

(2)   ( David E. Long , The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, University Press of Florida ,1997 Chap 1-page1)

Mohamed .T