Fatoumata Keita (fah-too-MAH-tah KAY-tah)
First Voice of Manden Kurufaba (Current)
Fatoumata Keita was born in Kangaba, a town steeped in the memory of the Manden Kurufaba, where griots still sing the oaths of Sunjata as if they were spoken yesterday. From her earliest years she was drawn to these songs, memorizing epics and retelling them with a voice far older than her age. Her teachers recognized her ability to listen deeply and to respond with measured compassion, and she was ushered into Whisper training before her adolescence. Her peers nicknamed her “the remembering one,” for she could recite not only proverbs but the full lineage of local families, never confusing a single name.
Now in her mid-thirties, Fatoumata brings this gift of memory to the council chamber. She carries herself with calm assurance, known for weaving Manden proverbs into debates in ways that disarm and clarify. At home she lives in a wide cooperative household — her long-time partner is a musician, and she also shares her life with a fellow council mediator and several apprentices who view her as mentor. To Fatoumata, family is not a closed circle but a flowing river, widening as it moves, and she lives this belief openly.
Her hobbies reflect her twin loves of rhythm and history. She plays the kora in the evenings, often accompanying griots in gatherings that blend civic discussion with performance. She is also a devoted gardener, tending millet and medicinal herbs in courtyard plots. When asked why she gardens despite her demanding role, she replies that the tending of soil reminds her that leadership is never about harvesting glory, but about nurturing what will feed others long after she is gone.
Current Location
Currently Held Titles
Date of Birth
17 Āsha 2269 zc (Reposo)
Year of Birth
2269 zc
36 Years old
Birthplace
Kangaba, Manden (Mali)
Children
Belief/Deity
Mohammedan + Buddhism + Yoruba/Orisha
West African pluralist; harmonizes justice, compassion, and ancestral ritual authority.
Aligned Organization
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