3 - Consolidation and expansion in the eighteenth century

Summary

During the first quarter of the eighteenth century, the fledgling state of Bundu faced two major, existence-threatening challenges. The initial crisis developed after Malik Sy's unexpected fall in battle; not only was there the question of succession, but the very viability of the polity was at issue. The second challenge to the realm came after the death of Bubu Malik Sy, Malik Sy's son and successor, and resulted in a temporary dissolution of the state. These crises together underscore the difficulties involved in launching a wholly new political entity in the midst of established, well-defined states. Neighboring hostility, ill-defined laws of succession, and the failure to find a satisfactory formula for power-sharing among Bundu's various groups were the key issues exposed by the deaths of these two men.

While this early period was difficult and filled with uncertainty, it was also formative in that the agricultural base of the state gradually expanded; at the same time, the commercial orientation of the realm began to take form. The latter development was largely a response to neighboring markets, but at the same time the entire region was experiencing the growing stimulation of the French and English trading presence along the Senegal and Gambia Rivers respectively.

Following the demise of Bubu Malik Sy, Bundu was characterized by a brief period of decentralization. The state's reconstitution under Maka Jiba (1720–64) took place during a period of significant change within the wider context of Senegambia.