Resisting Empire: Samory Touré
From It's a Continent by W!ZARD Studios
September 29, 2025 · 18 min · Episode 2
About this episode
This episode explores the life and legacy of Samory Touré, a 19th-century West African leader known for his resistance against French colonial expansion.
This episode of our Resisting Empire series explores the life of Samory Touré, the 19th-century West African leader who built an empire across Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Liberia. Known as the “Napoleon of Africa,” he modernised his armies, outmanoeuvred the French for over sixteen years, and used scorched-earth tactics to hold back European expansion. But Samory was more than a military strategist. He united diverse groups under Islam, pursued bold ambitions, and ruled with authoritarian discipline that left deep divides. Captured in 1898 and exiled to Gabon, his legacy remains complex — both celebrated as a symbol of resistance and remembered as a ruthless conqueror. PSA: You Are African First Before Anything REFERENCES Samory - African History (journal article) Samori Touré (1830-1900) Quand les empires se faisaient et se défaisaient en Afrique de l’Ouest : le cas Samory Touré (in French) West Africa the fight for survival Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. It's a Continent (published by Coronet) is available to purchase: itsacontinent.com/book We're on Buy me a Coffee too: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/itsacontinent Visit our…
Topics covered
- Samory Touré
- West African history
- resistance to colonialism
- military strategy
- Islamic unification
- authoritarian rule
Keywords
- Samory Touré
- West Africa
- colonial resistance
- military tactics
- Islam
- empire building
- historical legacy
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Samory - African History, Quand les empires se faisaient et se défaisaient en Afrique de l’Ouest : le cas Samory Touré, West Africa the fight for survival
Places: Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia
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