West African political leader ModiboKeita (1915-1977) led the fight for independence of the French Sudan and became the first president of the Republic of Mali.
ModiboKeita was born on June 4, 1915, in Bamako, the capital of French Sudan (now Mali), a landlocked nation in western Africa.
Keita joined the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) and in 1947 was elected secretary general of the Union Soudanaise, the Sudan section of the RDA.