it's possible that some stories about the "mansa" — Mandinka for "sultan" or "emperor" — were exaggerated. We do know for a fact that Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire in the 14th century and ...

It not only features his brothers and cousins as bandmates, but also his two American kids on backing vocals in Mandinka. Ten days later, I joined Balla and his children on a journey back to Mali ...