Famous Keitas!


The Keita family has had a long-standing political influence in Mali for many centuries. In our presentation, we discuss the life of Sunjata and Salif Keita. Here are other examples of famous Keita!



Modibo Keïta was the first president of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He fought for independence of the French Sudan, now Mali. He was known for strongly adhering to the ideas of African socialism, implementing socialist policies during the first eight years of Malian independence. He also maintained close ties with communist countries and was vocal about his opposition to colonialism.


Mamady Keita is a master drummer who founded and serves as the President of the Tam Tam Mandigue school of drumming. He specializes in the djembe (known as a djembefola, or djembe player) and is known as the djembe ambassador of the world. He is also a direct descendant of Sundiata Keita! https://www.ttmda.com/mamady-keita


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Seydou Keita was a famous Malian photographer. The photos he took between the 1940s and 60s not only recorded life within the Malian society, but were also considered to be works of art. He is now recognized as the father of African photography and was considered to be one of the greatest photographers in the 20th Century. http://www.seydoukeitaphotographer.com/  

 Seydou Keita, separate from the individual above, is also the name of former footballer/soccer player who represented Mali. He appeared in seven Africa cup of nation tournaments.

 Daba Modibo Keita: Named after President Modibo Keita, Daba Modibo Keita is a famous taekwondo player. In 2007 during the Taekwondo World Championship, he became the first person from Sub-Saharan Africa to win a World Championship. He served as a flag-bearer of the Malian delegation during the 2008 Olympics. He also serves as an ambassador for Sport and HIV prevention in Mali.


Written by Lina

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