Faama

{{Short description|Nobility title}}

Faama is a Mandinka word meaning "father," "leader," or "king".{{cite book|last1=Niane|first1=Djibril Tamsir|title=Sundiata : an epic of old Mali|date=1994|publisher=Pearson Longman|location=Harlow|isbn=9780582264755|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/sundiataepicofol00nian}} {{Cite web|url=https://www.livelingua.com/|title=Live Lingua Mandinka|first=Live Lingua-Online Language|last=School|website=www.livelingua.com}} It was commonly used within the area of pre-imperial Mali. The title spread into areas conquered by Mali and was later used by the Bamana Empire and the Wassoulou Empire of Samori Toure and non-Mandinka groups in the Kenedougou Empire.

Both faama and mansa are word for king, but faama is a martial ruler and mansa is a mystic ruler.{{Cite book |last=Chappatte |first=André |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=geuSEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT52 |title=In Search of Tunga: Prosperity, Almighty God, and Lives in Motion in a Malian Provincial Town |date=2022-11-01 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-22074-8 |language=en}}