The Quran of Touré, along with his cap, fly whisk and a war tunic, were seized after his capture by the French army in 1898 and his subsequent exile to Gabon. “This is proof of the greatness of this war leader. What matters is that these objects can return home,” said Guinea’s minister of culture, Moussa Moïse Sylla, during this visit to the Invalides.
The Quran of Almamy Samory Touré (almamy being the title borne by West African Muslim rulers and military leaders) has been held in French collections for the past 50 years.
In mid-June, a Guinean delegation traveled to the Musée de l’Armée in Paris specifically to view the manuscript, once owned by one of the great figures of resistance to French colonial conquest.
Samory Touré after his arrest in 1898
The Guineans officially requested the return of Guinea’s written heritage from France’s Culture Ministry.
This was the first such request since Guinea’s first president Sekou Touré (1958-1984) asked France in 1968, during the country’s 10th anniversary of independence, to return the Quran, saber and boubou (a traditional gown) of the Emperor of Wassoulou.
The manuscript contains several Quranic commentaries.
Guinea Conakry has found inspiration in the claims of the Republic of Benin, Senegal and Algeria.
