Manding

Manding is an ethnolinguistic grouping in West Africa that comprises related peoples and languages, including Mandinka, Malinke, Bambara, Dyula, and other communities. The term refers both to a set of ethnic groups and to the Manding language cluster spoken by them. Manding-speaking peoples are concentrated across Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and parts of Ghana and Nigeria, with diasporic communities across the Atlantic.

Linguistically, Manding languages form a cluster within the Mande branch of the Niger-Congo family. They include Mandinka, Malinke, Bambara, Dyula (Jula), and Maninka, among others; these varieties are related but not always mutually intelligible. The languages are commonly written in Latin script, with Ajami (Arabic script) used in some communities, and the N’Ko script also used for Manding languages.

Culturally and historically, Manding-speaking communities have a rich tradition of oral history and music through the jeli or griot class, known for performance on instruments such as the kora and balafon. They played a central role in medieval West African empires, most notably the Mali Empire founded by Sundiata Keita in the 13th century. Today, Islam is the predominant religion among Manding communities, often practiced alongside traditional beliefs. The Manding world has a global diaspora resulting from the transatlantic slave trade.