"Why I did it?" Mansa Musa smiled.
Everyone asked him that same question since the hajj. And to be perfectly honest, he wasn't entirely sure why he did it.
It was a simple question; Musa I knew that. But simple questions always have the most complex answers, and no one was ever satisfied with such a fact.
"I always said that I don't know. No one ever believed that answer," the dying Mansa reflected upon his following words. "I did it because I could."
Finally, there it was: an answer.
No one was expecting such an outcome. Everyone froze, shocked and stupefied.
That gave the Mansa something that he didn't have in a long time: time.
Time to keep reflecting. But this time, Musa didn't ponder in his head. He did it out loud.
"I did because I thought it was right. The people needed the gold, the mosques and the madrasas, and the cities. All I ever did, was to and because of the people," declared Mansa Musa.
Now, everyone was confused. Everyone was questioning which option was the right one. Mansa had done it because he could do it or because he was generous?
"I also did it for Mali. I did it to teach a lesson. To make them realize that we are the most powerful and most prosperous empire. I did it because I was sick and tired of people not knowing who we are. Now, everyone knows who we are. All the trade and gold are here. Now, we are respected," before anyone could say anything, Mansa Musa went further into his elucubration. "I did it to leave my mark. I did it to write my name on the pages of history. From now on, everyone will remember Musa I as the richest man that ever lived. The man that single-handed defined the price of the gold."
Musa I felt that his energies were failing him. There was little to no time. He had to be quick.
"I did it because of all that and more. I did it because of none of that. I did it because I did it. I did it because no one told me no to do it. I did it because I am Mansa."
It took a second, but soon the room was a cacophony of voices. Everyone wanted a more concrete answer. Everyone had a theory and wanted, needed Musa I to corroborate.
No one ever got what they wanted.
Musa I ran out of time. The dying Mansa was dead. There was never going to be an answer to the simple question.
But only because people never want to believe that a simple question can have a complicated and unfulfilling answer.
THE END
*****
Musa I (c. 1280 – c. 1337), or Mansa Musa, was the ninth Mansa of the Mali Empire, an Islamic West African state.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa_Musa
