Diarra is a French translation of the clan name Jara used in West Africa, as a hangover from the French colonial empire in that region. It originates from the Bambara language word jara, meaning lion,[1] synonymous with waraba.[2] The Kingdom of Diarra existed from the 7th Century until the 19th Century. The name is also frequently used with reference to the 18th to early 19th-century Bambara Empire in Ségou, Mali, which was ruled successively by Ngolo Diarra, his son Mansong (or Monzon) Diarra, and then his son Da Diarra.[3][4]

The clan name (or patronym[5]) Jara/Diarra is related to another clan name, Koné,[1] and is heard in many of the chronicles that have been handed down orally.[6] Both are frequently praised together in song, signifying bravery and fearlessness.[1][7]

The name Diarra, now a surname, is traditionally found mostly in Mali, but also Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Senegal. Today, it has also spread around the world, notably in France and Spain.[8] Today, it is also used as a given name.

Diarra may refer to:

Surname

Given name

References

  1. 1 2 3 Larkan, F.; Murphy, F. (2017). Memory and Recovery in Times of Crisis. Memory Studies: Global Constellations. Taylor & Francis. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-317-02037-0. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Bambara–French dictionary". Bambara. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Bickford-Smith, V.; Mendelsohn, R. (2007). Black and White in Colour: African History on Screen. James Currey. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-84701-522-8. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Ajayi, J.F.A. (1989). Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s. General history of Africa. UNESCO. p. 683. ISBN 978-92-3-101712-4. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  5. ↑ Frank, B.E. (2022). Griot Potters of the Folona: The History of an African Ceramic Tradition. Indiana University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-253-05897-3. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Austen, R.A. (1999). In Search of Sunjata: The Mande Oral Epic as History, Literature, and Performance. Indiana University Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-253-21248-1. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Belcher, S. (1999). Epic Traditions of Africa. Indiana University Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-253-21281-8. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Diarra Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History". Forebears. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
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