Jaimelee Ghanie
AFPRL 201
Professor: Dr Ehiedu Iweriebor
Book: SUNDIATA: AN EPIC OF OLD MALI
Written by D.T.Niane
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mail was written by Djibril Tamsir Niane. D.T.Niane was born January 9, 1932 in Conakry Guinea. D.T Niane is an African Historian, playwright and short story writer. Niane works are scholarly article and book that focuses on Africa’s history, preservation, resistance and its western perception. However, among the many pieces of literature that was written, Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mail and his volumes of Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century (General History of Africa) are the only other pieces of literature that was translated into English.
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mail was written in an attempt to show the historical richness of Africa’s oral history among the Mandingo people of the Mail Empire. This piece of literatures challenges western thought and ideology that oral narration and traditions have not historical foundation because it is not written. D.T. Niane thus defies the thought that Africa has not history because it was not recorded. D.T. Niane also attempts to preserve the oral history of Africa and its People by having it brought to light. In Sundiata: An Epic of Mali, D.T.Niane uses the oral myths and folklore
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that were passed down through the years by the Mandingo griots that lived in the old Mali empire and its surrounded lands. D.T.Naine in this text, thus recounts the tales told by these old story tellers. According to the Niane, a griot was a professional historian who served as an intermediate between the king and his people. The griot is an historian, royal advisor to the king. He is the preserver of tradition and the constitution through memory and speech. It is through the griots that traditions, lineage and the history of Mail were passed down through generation as was seen in Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mail. In Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali, the griot Mamadou Kouyate orally narrates Mali’s historical lineage of the past royal families and their griots. In the first chapter, the griot sets up the groit’s creditability as an historian, he also explains the groit’s purpose in life thus setting up his accounts of the first king of Mail. This is evident in the lines “I teach kings the history of their ancestors so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is old, but the future springs from the past.” (p. 1) “Listen to the story of the son of the Buffalo, the son of the Lion. I am going to tell you of Maghan Sundiata, of Mari-Djata, of Sogolon Djata, of Nare Maghan Djata; the man of many names against whom sorcery could avail nothing.” (p. 2) The Epic begins with an introduction of the First kings of Mail. It introduces the reader to the Mail Empire and the state in which past kings had ruled. It illustrates the royal lineage of Sundiata’s father king Magan Kon Fatta to Bilal who was the Prophets Muhammad companion. The following chapter called ‘Buffalo Woman’ focuses on Sundiata’s mother, Sogolon Kedjou, and how she became the wife of King Maghan Kon Fatta, Sundiata’s father. Sogolon was not attractive at all; she was described as ugly with a hunched back. The following year after the marriage between the King Maghan and Sogolon, Sogolon gave birth to Sundiata. On his birth he was named Djata. Djata represented the unique totem he inherited from his father the lion and his mother the buffalo. Everyone in the village was excited about his birth, except for Sassouma Berete, the King’s first wife. She was aggressive towards Sologon and her son because she felt that her child was the rightful heir to King Maghan’s throne. This may have been true, but one of the themes in Sundiata is the idea of destiny. The diviners or Seer had predicted that the heir to the throne was not born yet. All of this changed when Sundiata was born, for he was destined to be Mail’s King. However, Sundiata was born crippled. Sundiata’s infirmity weighed heavily on Sologon, she tried her hardest to get him to walk but he didn’t. He crawled around on all fours. Some of the villagers mocked Sologon, especially Sassouma who rejoiced in Sundiata’s infirmity. Despite Sundiata’s physical limitations, Kings Maghan sees wisdom and courage in his son. King Maghan gifts Sundiata a griot known as Balla Fasseke, the son of his own griot. In an attempt to rid his mother of sadness and shame, Sundiata decided to push himself to walk, “Very well then, I am going to walk today. Go and tell my father’s smiths to make me the heaviest possible iron rod.” (p. 19) Sundiata, with the help of the heavy iron rod, was able to pull himself off the floor. “Supporting himself on his knees, Sundiata picked up the iron bars with little effort and stood up vertically”. (p.21) “Room, room, make room! The lion has walked; Hide antelopes, get out of his way.” (p. 21) Now that Sundiata was able to walk, Sassouma became anxious that her son was at risk of losing the throne. In an effort to prevent this from happening, she called upon the nine witches of Mali to kill Sundiata. However, they were not successful because Sundiata’s had a generous and kind heart. Sogolon was wise a woman and knew the wickedness that lurked in Sassouma heart. Fearing for her son’s life, Sologon decided to leave Mali. Sologon and her children traveled Mail surrounding lands for about seven years until they finally settled in Mema. The king of Mema and his sister received Sogolon and her children with open arms. The king of Mema took a great likeness to Sundiata. The king of Mema admired Sundiata’s strength and courage as a hunter and warrior and later made Sundiata heir to Mema’s throne. During an unexpected encounter with some Mandingos at the market, Sundiata learnt that Mali was in great distress. Sundiata, upon hearing the details about Mali’s state of affairs, decided that it was time to return home to fulfill his destiny, as king. However, Sogolon fall and dies. Sundiata buries his mother in the Mema, and soon after commands his army back to Mali. When Sundiata finally reached Mali, his main focus was to rid Mail of its sorcerer king Soumaoro.
Soumaoro defeat was difficult became he was under a magical spell that heightened his strength. Sundiata, was able to kill Saumaoro by using arrow made of wood and pointed with the spur of a white cock” (p. 64). Sundiata finally managed to kill Soumaoro by shooting the wooden arrow into Soumaoro’s shoulder. Soumaoro disappeared and his army now at the mercy of Sundiata surrendered. Sundiata, the son of the buffalo and the lion had fulfilled his destiny. Sundiata returned Mail to its former glory. “After the destruction of Soumaoro’s capital the world knew no other master but Sundiata.” (p.
70) Sundiata is reunited with his griot Balla Fasseke who was sent away by Sassouma Berete out of jealous and hated for Sundiata and his mother Sogolon. At the end of Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mail, the griot ends the epic by praising Sundiata and his rule of the golden age of the Mali Empire. He tells the audience that Mali is eternal and that reminders of history are everywhere, but only the griot can know all. This serves to illustrate the griot importance; he serves as the keeper of oral tradition and history generations after generations. In conclusion, I think that D.T.Niane did a great job with this book. It was a well written text on Africa’s oral customs and perceptions. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mail does have chapters but is set up in a way that illustrates importance of particular subject matter. Niane, provided detail accounts by including a map of Africa which described and gave the reader an idea of the many kingdoms and tribes that Sundiata encountered on his voyages. D.T.Niane also provided background information so that the reader would be more acquainted with the geography, religion, politics and society structure during Sundiata’s time period. Work Cite 1. Niane, Djibril Tamsir. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Rev. ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print.
An interesting aspect of reading Sunjata is that it allows the reader to get a glimpse into the past. An unmissable trait that the story brings up is the power and control that women hold within their marriages and families overall. Part of this power comes from the West African people carrying on their family through a matrilineal system. Familial ties are a significant motif in Sunjata with even the storyteller tracing his ancestry back to the strong women told about in the oral tale. The matrilineal system means that instead of children taking the name of their father, as seen in many European societies, they would take the name of their mother and hold closer to the ties of her ancestors. This system allows for a sense of feminism to sprinkle all over the story of Sunjata and, ultimately, on the
During 1910 and 1970, over six million blacks departed the oppression of the South and relocated to western and northern cities in the United States, an event identified as the Great Migration. The Warmth of Other Suns is a powerful non-fiction book that illustrates this movement and introduces the world to one of the most prominent events in African American history. Wilkerson conveys a sense of authenticity as she not only articulates the accounts of Ida Mae Brandon Gladney, George Swanson Starling, and Robert Joseph Pershing Foster, but also intertwines the tales of some 1,200 travelers who made a single decision that would later change the world. Wilkerson utilizes a variety of disciplines including sociology, psychology, and economics in order to document and praise the separate struggles but shared courage of three individuals and their families during the Great Migration.
Ayiti, by Roxane Gay, is a collection of fifteen short narratives about Haiti and its people, which gives the readers insights into the complex Haitian diaspora experience. The novel seeks to offer a deeper view into Haitian society and covers an array of themes such as the politics of survival, resiliency, and feminist culture in Haiti. Throughout the novel, Gay is highly critical of mainstream media because of how they depict and silo Haiti as a poor and helpless country. Haiti’s historical stance on censorship is well documented, and as a Haitian writer living in America, Gay is successful in giving agency to the voiceless by chronicling the stories of the Haitian diaspora. Ayiti explores stories that explain what it is like to be a Haitian
Mazrui, Ali A. "The Re-Invention of Africa: Edward Said, V. Y. Mudimbe, and Beyond." Research in African Literatures 36, no. 3 (Autumn 2005): 68-82.
D'Arcy McNickle, through his classic novel, Runner in the Sun, is able to articulate a clear and well informed account of the historic cultures and lifestyles of Native Americans, document the struggles of these groups as they adapt to changing environmental and social circumstances, propose solutions to these struggles in the form of new crops, knowledge, and leadership, critique modern culture through the activities of his characters, and support an engaging and well-constructed storyline. The primary struggles demonstrated in this work seem to be those between Native Americans and Nature and those within Native American society. The story documents these people as they work to reconcile these struggles. Solutions are proposed and adopted
Islam is presented in the Epic of Sundiata in a way that encourages listeners to embrace Islam over their indigenous belief systems. The epic accomplishes this by incorporating elements and practices of the indigenous beliefs into Islamic tradition; and by adapting certain Islamic mythology — such as the Jinn — to the existing West African culture. It also asserts the superior power and strength of those who derive their power from Allah and the Jinn, to those whose power is based in ancestral worship and fetishes. Through conflict, adaptation, and tolerance, the Epic of Sundiata presents an accessible version of Islam to the people of the Mali Empire; and promotes the acceptance of this new faith over the indigenous beliefs of the area.
In the novel Segu, Maryse Conde beautifully constructs personal and in depth images of African history through the use of four main characters that depict the struggles and importance of family in what is now present day Mali. These four characters and also brothers, by the names of Tiekoro, Siga, Naba, and Malobali are faced with a world changing around their beloved city of Bambara with new customs of the Islamic religion and the developing ideas of European commerce and slave trade. These new expansions in Africa become stepping stones for the Troare brothers to face head on and they have brought both victory and heartache for them and their family. These four characters are centralized throughout this novel because they provide the reader with an inside account of what life is like during a time where traditional Africa begins to change due to the forceful injection of conquering settlers and religions. This creates a split between family members, a mixing of cultures, and the loss of one’s traditions in the Bambara society which is a reflection of the (WHAT ARE SOME CHANGES) changes that occur in societies across the world.
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The great Machiavelli once said, "Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times." Indeed, the study of history is important as history does seem to repeat itself. Many people in today's society learn about the past from textbooks and other books, as these are of easy access. Is this really the best way to learn about the past? The people of ancient Africa did not think so, as they had special people called "griots"who passed the people's traditions and history down orally from generation to generation. One such griot, Mamadou Kouyate, recalls the story of the most famous ruler in African history, Sundiata, in D.T. Niane's book Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. This book has become an entertaining, yet scrutinized, source about the history of Mali and it's surrounding areas. Much scrutiny of this tale comes from those who question the validity of the griots, though Mamadou Kouyate is quick to point out that "[His] word is pure and free of all untruth; it is the word of [his] father...griots do not know what lying is" (Niane 1). If the context of the epic is true, then there are many valuable things to be learned from it including the traditions and customs of ancient Africa, and how Sundiata came to rule over such a large area. Based upon a reading of the text, it is easy to see that Sundiata's political power was not based soley on religion, as he used many conventional methods to gain and remain in power.
...ed in such and such a land, men can do nothing against it. . . Neither the jealousy of a cruel stepmother, nor her wickedness, could alter for a moment the course of great destiny” (47). Destiny in the epic is clearly pronounced and carried throughout the epic. Destiny is seen predicted before the life of Sundiata, when the hunter foretold the destined path for the king to chose the “ugliest woman” in the hand of marriage, during his trouble childhood, and during the exile. Destiny is also seen in the battle of Sundiata and Sourmaoro, when Sundiata prevails as the seventh star and savior of Mali.
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The small African village located on the bank of the river Niger has a story of its own, that only the old and wise are able to des...