Sédhiou and the Pakao

1837 · Sédhiou

The Pakao, in the Sédhiou region, was once home to the Baynunk and the Balante, under the name Kandessa in the Baynunk period. From the 18th century Islam took deep root there with the arrival of Mandinka, Fulani and Soninke marabouts from the Fouta and the area of the Mali Empire: the Pakao became a Muslim spiritual centre. Sédhiou was the capital of the Pakao. On 24 March 1837 Bodian Danfa signed the treaty of Bakoum with Dagorne, special commander of Gorée. A fort was built at Sédhiou in 1837–1838, on the right bank of the Casamance River.

Sources

• Persée — « Du côté de la Casamance : pouvoirs, espaces et religions » (Cahiers d’études africaines, 1993)
• A. Dramé, The Institutionalization of Islam in Southern Senegal (Google Books)
• Persée — « Portraits de chefs casamançais du XIXe siècle » (1971)

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