Garan Fabou Kouyate
| Garan Fabou Kouyaté | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 25, 1925 Segou, Mali |
| Nationality | Malian |
| Other names | "Ba Garan" (Bambara term for father Garan) |
| Known for | Sports administration and fairness in Malian politics |
| Political party | AMUPI (Malian Association for Unity and the Progress of Islam) |
| Board member of | Ligue Régionale de Football de Ségou (Segou Regional Soccer League) 1950s and Fédération Malienne de Football (Malian Soccer Federation) 1960 - 1980 |
| Spouse(s) | 3 wives |
| Partner(s) | 6 children |
Garan Fabou Kouyaté (born April 25, 1925 in Segou, Mali) is a notable and well-respected Malian civil and social figure. He was a member of Mali's Association for Unity and the Progress of Islam (AMUPI), Director of Mali's first Islamic radio La Voix du Coran, a member of the CENI (National Independent Electoral Commission) on behalf of the religious groups, the President of the Ligue Régionale de Football de Ségou, and the general secretary of the Fédération Malienne de Football (Malian Soccer Federation). He was commonly called "Ba Garan" (Bambara term for father Garan).
Garan Fabou Kouyaté is from the Griot or Djeli family (African traditional story tellers, singers, and mediators). He is the son of Fabou and Fatoumata Kouyaté and the cousin of the famous Tiemoko Garan Kouyaté (killed in 1942 for his political affiliation and anti-colonialism). Garan Fabou Kouyaté did his primary education in the 1930s in the city of Bamako during the French colonization in Mali (called French Sudan back then). He continued his studies until the mid-1940s when he graduated as a civil administrator. He served in Segou, Nioro, Bafoulabé, Sikasso, and Bamako in the 1950s and 1960s.
Kouyaté was mostly famous in sport, especially soccer although his first hobby was bicycling and the Tour de France. He was a soccer referee and then member of a soccer team, l’Association Sportive de Segou (ASS). In the mid-1950s, Kouyaté strongly promoted soccer in the Segou Region during the annual Coupe de l’AOF (soccer competition between teams from French West Africa). Although no team from the region made it to the final, Kouyaté was successful in challenging teams from the capital city Bamako and making Segou's soccer well respected.
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