Conflicts In The Novel "Segu"

Controversies and conflicts are many ways to emphasize key characters and plots in many novels. Authors such as, Maryse Conde use change and the effects of change, to help the reader better understand the underlying themes. In the novel Segu, Conde does just this. The controversy of change in religion creates a fairly large civil conflict amongst the Bambara people. This same civil conflict eventually boils over into the controversy of change in people and trade. The effect of this change would later be described as the world's lowest point of society.

"On the other hand, Islam was dangerous: it undermined the power of kings, according sovereignty to one supreme god who was completely alien to the Bambara universe" (41).

Was Islam the real controversy causing the conflict, or were the Bambara people stuck in their own worlds?

"There is no god but Allah..." (41). This is what was taught to many African people during the emergence of the Islamic culture. Although many diverse religions existed before this emergence, Islam and its teachings spread quicker than people imagined. Its teachings were very formal and education-oriented. This was certainly evident through the emergence of Tiekoro, the son of Dousika Traore, who was the king's most trusted advisor, but not a well-respected man. As Conde stated on page 41, Segu seemed like it became smaller everyday, as if it were an island surrounded by other countries, which have unfortunately lost the battle to Islam. Tiekoro, being a young man, realized these rapid changes in his society. He, unlike many other Bambaras, decided to convert to the majority, leaving the minority (his Bambara people) behind to ponder what their next choice will be.

The culture of Islam has its positive aspects, as well as its negative aspects. Islam bestowed many unfortunate people the opportunity to gain more knowledge about their surroundings, and the adversities that they may face on a daily basis. Islam also created alliances, and trade contracts with other surrounding countries, allowing them to receive resources that other religions and groups could not envisage. However, to gain these privileges, Islam had to first fester the lives of many civilians that dared step in its path. Islam not only ruined the lives of people, but it ruined whole kingdoms. Many people felt and expressed that Islam was demoralizing the image and power of kings. It somehow did this with persistence, and a case of bullying. Islam used its powers and privileges to the fullest extent. It threatened and terrified the morale of inferior religions.

Tiekoro used the Islamic religion to his advantage. Although his people disliked his decision, he somehow managed to make a bad situation into a perfect one. The idea that first intrigued Tiekoro was the idea of learning how to read and write. Learning to read and write was an opportunity to become more social and involved in the affluent society. He saw this as a way to expand his horizon and someday leave the country of Segu. Tiekoro's true motivation came in the form of a man. This man was his father.

"...Tiekoro looked up to his father as a god. He had admired him much more then the Mansa. When had he started to think of him as a barbarian and an ignorant drinker of dolo? It was when the achievements of the Muslims had begun to acquire importance in his life. But the fact that he'd stopped admiring his father didn't mean he didn't love him anymore...Tiekoro suffered from a conflict between his heart and his head, between instinctive feelings and intellectual reasoning" (22).

Tiekoro saw his father, and the way he lived. From that point onward, he told himself that he would not turn into a man like that. He told himself that he would turn into a respected and well-rounded man. Eventually, Tiekoro did just that, becoming a saint to those who adored him in the Islamic community. Even though he was shunned away from his homeland of Segu, Tiekoro still managed to educate and convert young Bambaras at his Koranic school.

Dousika, the father of Tiekoro, and the king's most trusted advisor, was considered a bad influence on