Djoumbé Fatima

Djoumbé Fatima
Photograph of Djoumbé Fatima taken in Paris in 1868
Queen (Sultan) of Mohéli (Mwali)
Reign	1842–1865 1874–1878
Coronation	26 May 1849, Fomboni
Predecessor	Ramanetaka Mohamed bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara
Successor	Mohamed bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara Abderremane bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara
Born	1836/37 Ouallah, Mohéli
Died	1878 (aged 41)
Spouse	Said Muhammad bin Nasser Mkadara, Prince Consort and Regent of Mohéli
Issue	1. Mohamed bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara (c. 1859−1874) 2. Abderremane bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara (c. 1860−1885) 3. Mahmudu bin Mohamed Makadara (1863−1898) 4. Bakoko 5. Salima Machamba (1874–1964)
House	Dynasty of Merina
Father	Ramanetaka (–1842)
Mother	Ravao (–1847)

Djoumbé Fatima (1837–1878), also known as Djoumbé Soudi, was queen of Mohéli in Comoros from the age of five until her death.

Life

Her parents were Merina of Madagascar. Her father, General Ramanataka, was brother-in-law to Radama I, King of Madagascar. He died in 1842 and Djoumbé ascended to the throne. Her mother, Ravao, ruled as regent for a time and married her husband's former adviser, Tsivandini, in 1843. He became Djoumbé's tutor and started making arrangements for her marriage to the sultan of Zanzibar.^[1]

Ravao and Tsivandini divorced in 1846. Mayotte had recently been ceded to France, and the French, eager to develop their presence on Mohéli, arranged for a Madame Droit to serve as governess for Djoumbé.^[2] The French also arranged for her coronation at the age of 12, in 1849. Two years later she expelled the governess and married Saïd Mohammed Nasser M'Kadar, who was cousin to Zanzibar's sultan. M'Kadar became prince consort and ruled with Fatima until 1860, when he was ousted by the French. Fatima held on to the throne, marrying two sultans. She renounced the throne for her son. When the French returned in 1871, she was restored to the throne and ruled until her death in 1878.^[1]

Children

• From her marriage to Said Muhammad bin Nasser Mkadara, Prince Consort and Regent of Mohéli, Counsellor to Sayyid Sa’id bin Sultan, Sultan of Oman and Zanzibar, three sons:^[3]
  • Mohamed bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara (c. 1859 − 1874), Sultan of Mohéli (1865–1874)
  • Abderremane bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara (c. 1860 − 1885), Sultan of Mohéli (1878–1885)
  • Mahmudu bin Mohamed Makadara (Fomboni, 1863 − Saint-Denis, Réunion, 18 October 1898), Regent of Mohéli for her halfsister, Sultana Salima Machamba (18 September 1889 – 9 October 1897), he had a son:
    • Manini, Prince of Mohéli
• From her relationship to Emile Fleuriot de Langle (Emile Fleuriot de l'Angle du Curri) (1837–1881), two children:^[4]
  • Bakoko
  • Salima Machamba (Fomboni, 1 November 1874 – Pesmes, Haute-Saône, France, 7 August 1964), Sultana of Mohéli (1888–1909), married at Saint-Denis, Réunion to French gendarme Camille Paule (Pesmes, 1 March 1867 – Champagney, Jura, 22 September 1946) on 28 August 1901, and she had three children

Bibliography

• Ibrahime, Mahmoud: Djoumbé Fatima: Une reine comorienne face aux visées coloniales de la marine française. Tarehi - Revue d'Histoire et d'Archéologie 2, 10–17, 2001.
• Grosdidier, Christophe: Djoumbe Fatima, reine de Mohéli, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2004. ISBN 978-2-7475-6953-8

References

1. Sheldon, Kathleen (2005). "Djoumbe Fatima (1837–1878)". Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lanham (Maryland): Scarecrow Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-8108-5331-7.
2. Ottenheimer, Martin; Ottenheimer, Harriet (1994). Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands. Metuchen, NJ [u.a.]: Scarecrow Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-8108-2819-3.
3. Christopher Buyers: The Royal Ark/Oman (Access date: 27 October 2014)
4. Mwali (Access date: 27 October 2014)