HOUSE OF DIOULA (Dioulasso): In The Heart Of Dioula's Wedding. Pt 9/12

Dioula's wedding as never seen before: The Dioulas spread throughout the former area of Mandé culture from the Atlantic coast of Senegambia to the Niger and from the southern edge of the Sahara to forest zones further south. They established decentralized townships that were linked to an extensive commercial network, in what was described as a “trading diaspora.” Motivated by business imperatives, they expanded into new markets, founding settlements under the auspices of various local rulers who often permitted them self-governance and autonomy. Organization of Dioula trading companies was based on a clan-family structure known as the Lou or Lu - a working unit consisting of a father and his sons and other attached males. Members of a given Lou/Lu dispersed from the savanna to the forest, managed circulation of goods and information, placed orders, and effectively controlled the economic mechanisms of supply and demand. Dioula people are fiercely loyal to their clan lineage, often expressing their cultural history and devotion through the oral traditions of dance and storytelling.