Mansa Musa was a very successful king who built the reputation of the Mali kingdom. He was called ‘Mansa’ which means King and was the 9th king to rule Mali.

1) Mansa Musa started a pilgrimage tour called Hajj. He was accompanied by 60,000 men aside from retinues of 12,000 people. Each of these men carried a staff designed with gold, including 80 camels carrying 300 pounds of gold each.

This made Mansa Musa and Mali known all over the world.

2) Mansa Musa brought professional architects who created beautiful architectural designs in Mali. One of the architects, Ishaq El Teudjin, designed a mosque and a palace in Gao. He also designed the mosques at Timbuktu, named Djinguereber.  

3) The Gold king brought many Muslim Scholars to Mali and this made Islamic education grow in Mali, which birthed Universities, Libraries, and Mosques in Mali.

Read Also: 5 interesting things to know about the Oshun goddess

4) He conquered other kingdoms like the Songhai empire. The Empire of Mali in the modern day covers; Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Gambia, Nigeria, Niger, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania.

5) Mansa Musa was known to be the first Muslim Emperor to visit Mecca, which transformed Mali immensely. He ruled Mali for 25 years from 1312 to 1337 and he was preceded by Muhammad Ibn Qu.

Coronavirus cases in the Marshall Islands have skyrocketed, only days after the tiny Pacific country reported its first local spread of the virus.

Total cases in the capital city of Majuro have almost doubled since last Friday, the BBC reports.

Authorities said about 75 per cent of tests across the nation – which is 5300 kilometres from eastern Australia – were showing positive results.

The Marshall Islands were among the Pacific countries which remained largely free of coronavirus cases in the early period of the global pandemic.

It recorded its first cases in October 2020 – among two returned travellers from the US.

At the start of this month, the Marshall Islands – which has a population of 59,000 – had been no community transmission of COVID-19. Seventy per cent of people have been vaccinated.

But early last week, the government declared a “state of health disaster” after the first person-to-person spread was confirmed. The response included shutting schools and introducing new public health rules but no lockdown.

The latest figures from the Marshall Islands showed 3,036 cumulative cases reported since October 2020.

Health Secretary Jack Niedenthal – who tested positive – urged anyone feeling seriously unwell to report their case as an emergency at a hospital.

The Marshall Islands is composed of 29 widely spread atolls. Local media has reported COVID-19 cases spreading from Majuro over the past week to other towns.

The government said it has received medical supplies from countries such as the US and more is on the way.

The Australian government has urged travellers to the Marshall Islands to “exercise a high degree of caution”.

Oshun goddess is one of the most popular deities that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yoruba Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba -based religions of West Africa.

During her life on earth, she was a queen to King Shango of Oyo, the god of thunder. She is also connected to destiny and divination.

Below are 5 interesting things about the Oshun goddess:

Till today, her worshippers wear gold and yellow attires in festivals to honor her.