In the early 13th century, in the aftermath of the Battle of Kirina and the victory of the Mandé peoples, the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita, with a group of wise men, nobles and tribal chief proclaimed the Manden Charter which is considered one of the oldest constitutions in the world albeit mainly in oral form. Today, despite the disappearance of the empire, the words of the charter and the rituals associated with it are still passed down orally from generation to generation, and annual commemorative ceremonies for this historic gathering are organized in the town of Kangaba.

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Manden Charter, Proclaimed in Kurukan Fuga was inscribed in 2009 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Mali.