Samori Touré -- Gambia & Guinea
Warrior king, hero of the resistance against the French colonisation of West Africa during the 19th century, Samori Touré (also known as Samore toure or Almamy Samore Lafiya Toure, ) was the founder of the Wassoulou Empire, an Islamic state that resisted French rule in West Africa from 1882 until his capture in 1898.
Born c. 1830 in Manyambaladugu (Southeastern Guinea), the son of 
Dyula traders, Samore grew up in West Africa that was being transformed by growing contacts with the European traders, while growing access to firearms changed traditional West African patterns of warfare. In 1848, Samore's mother was captured by Séré-Burlay, of the Cissé clan.
After arranging his mother's freedom, Samore enrolled in the forces of the Cissés where he acquired military skills during various campaigns, he remained there "seven years, seven months, seven days" before fleeing with his mother. He then joined the Bérété army, the enemies of the Cissé, for two years before rejoining his people, the Kamara. Named Kélétigui (war chief) at Dyala in 1861, Samori took an oath to protect his people against both the Bérété and the Cissé.
He created a professional army and placed his brothers and childhood friends, in positions of command. By 1867, Samore was a fully fledged war chief, with his army centered on Sanankoro in the Guinea Highlands, on the Upper Milo, a Niger River tributary. Samore understood that he needed to accomplish two things: create an efficient, loyal fighting force equipped with modern firearms, and to build a stable state. By 1876, Samore was able to import breech-loading rifles through the British colony of Sierra Leone. He conquered the Buré gold mining district to bolster his finances, and by 1878 he was strong enough to proclaim himself faama (monarch) of Wassoulou Empire. He made Bissandugu the capital and began political and commercial exchanges with the neighboring Toucouleur.
In 1881, Samore was able to secure control of the key Dyula trading center of Kankan, on the upper Milo River, Kankan was a center for the trade and was well sited to dominate the trade routes in all directions. By 1881, Wassoulou extended through Guinea and Mali, from what is now Sierra Leone to northern Côte d'Ivoire. While Samore conquered the numerous small tribal states around him, he also moved to secure his diplomatic position. He opened regular contacts with the British in Sierra Leone, and built a working relationship with the Fulbe (Fula) state of Fouta Djallon. The French began to expand in West Africa in the late 1870s, pushing eastward from Senegal in an attempt to reach the Nile in what is now Sudan. They also sought to drive southeast to link up with their bases in Côte d'Ivoire, this expansion put them directly into conflict with Samori.
In February 1882, a French expedition attacked one of Samori’s armies besieging Keniera. Samore was able to drive the French off, but he was alarmed at the discipline of their forces, which often included Senegalese troops and advanced powerful weapons. Samore expanded southwestward to secure a line of communication with Liberia. When an 1885 French expedition attempted to seize the Buré gold fields, Samore counter attacked and forced them to withdraw in haste. By 1887, Samori had a large well disciplined army but the French were determined not to give Samori time to consolidate his position. Exploiting the rebellions of several of Samori's animist subject tribes, the French continued to expand into his westernmost holdings, after several confrontations, Touré in 1889 concluded various peace treaties with the French forces.
In March 1891, a French force launched a direct attack on Kankan, knowing his fortifications could not stop French artillery, Samori began a war of manoeuvre. Despite his victories against French columns, Samori failed to push the French from the core of his kingdom. Samori moved his entire base of operations eastward, toward the Bandama and Comoe. He instituted a scorched earth policy, devastating each area before he evacuated it. Though this maneuver cut Samori off from his last sources of modern weapons, Sierra Leone and Liberia, it also delayed French pursuit. Nonetheless, the fall of other resistance armies, particularly Babemba Traoré at Sikasso, permitted the colonial army to launch a concentrated assault against Touré. He was captured 29 September 1898 and exiled to Ndjolé, Gabon, where he died of pneumonia on June 2, 1900.
Guinean band Bembeya Jazz National commemorated Samori Toure in their 1969 release Regard sur le passé. The album draws upon Mandinka Djeli traditions and consists of two epic recordings recounting Ture's anti-colonial resistance and nation-building.