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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
A perspective of history that requires interpretation. Quite interesting but not something I would read for fun.
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Rape
adventurous
medium-paced
The overall plot was interesting and had cool symbolism throughout but the translation made the story difficult to become entranced with. Often I would have to go back and reread sentences bc they were oddly worded. Didn’t help that there are several different names for a few different characters.
It’s a classic tho so I see its merits. Definitely cool to read something from ancient Mali.
It’s a classic tho so I see its merits. Definitely cool to read something from ancient Mali.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
loved the mysticism and prophetic elements of this story, as well as the fight scenes (one of my favourite elements of the greek epics too). read this for class and thought it was super intriguing to see how other non-european epics mirror the homeric epics! 2 stars because i didn't like the translation we got given and i didn't really understand much of what was going on, but i loved the scenery
The oral epic passed down for centuries, transcribed. Essential for students in African history, literature.
What a compelling short read.
This book was assigned as a part of a History of Africa class I'm taking here at UD, but if someone told me about this book out of the classroom context, I would've gobbled it up nonetheless.
For anyone unfamiliar with the "griot" tradition of Western Africa, griots are basically members of a kingdom (do NOT call them tribes) who are the recorders and tellers of history. This recollection is entirely mental and oral, stories and knowledge gets passed down through generations and is added onto as time progresses. This story is a rather fascinating undertaking in which a story, the founding of the legendary Kingdom of Mali, becomes ink on paper for the first time.
These griots tell stories through spoken word, songs, poems, and performance, and that much is clear when one reads the story of Sundiata, son of Sogolon. It reads like a dramatic play or opera, one that would necessitate some sort of Ridley Scott like adaptation, but one can't help but to appreciate the unique facet of the oral story telling and how that gets conveyed on the page. Not that a cinematic take on the tale would ruin it, but there's something so special and communal about the experience feeling as if you're sharing it with the griot himself.
One of my favorite quotes from the book goes as follows, "Griots know the history of kings and kingdoms and that is why they are the best counsellors of kings. Every king wants to have a singer to perpetuate his memory, for it is the griot who rescues the memories of kings from oblivion, as men have short memories."
That aside, I can assuredly recommend this Epic for anyone who considers themselves a fan of history, literature, Africa, or political science. The son of Sogolon, Sundiata, represents far more than just the founder of a great empire, but an archetype that has been repeated throughout our existence. This iteration, however, is a distinctly African one that has haphazardly been omitted by the conscience of academia, art, and anthropology.
For anyone who thinks that Africa doesn't have a Shakespeare, I urge you to pick up this short story and listen to the griot speak. I can assure you, it is far less boring than Romeo and Juliet.
"Take your bow, Simbon,
Take your bow and let us go,
Take your bow, Sologon Djata"
Hymn of The Bow: Balla Fasseke, the Mansa's Griot
This book was assigned as a part of a History of Africa class I'm taking here at UD, but if someone told me about this book out of the classroom context, I would've gobbled it up nonetheless.
For anyone unfamiliar with the "griot" tradition of Western Africa, griots are basically members of a kingdom (do NOT call them tribes) who are the recorders and tellers of history. This recollection is entirely mental and oral, stories and knowledge gets passed down through generations and is added onto as time progresses. This story is a rather fascinating undertaking in which a story, the founding of the legendary Kingdom of Mali, becomes ink on paper for the first time.
These griots tell stories through spoken word, songs, poems, and performance, and that much is clear when one reads the story of Sundiata, son of Sogolon. It reads like a dramatic play or opera, one that would necessitate some sort of Ridley Scott like adaptation, but one can't help but to appreciate the unique facet of the oral story telling and how that gets conveyed on the page. Not that a cinematic take on the tale would ruin it, but there's something so special and communal about the experience feeling as if you're sharing it with the griot himself.
One of my favorite quotes from the book goes as follows, "Griots know the history of kings and kingdoms and that is why they are the best counsellors of kings. Every king wants to have a singer to perpetuate his memory, for it is the griot who rescues the memories of kings from oblivion, as men have short memories."
That aside, I can assuredly recommend this Epic for anyone who considers themselves a fan of history, literature, Africa, or political science. The son of Sogolon, Sundiata, represents far more than just the founder of a great empire, but an archetype that has been repeated throughout our existence. This iteration, however, is a distinctly African one that has haphazardly been omitted by the conscience of academia, art, and anthropology.
For anyone who thinks that Africa doesn't have a Shakespeare, I urge you to pick up this short story and listen to the griot speak. I can assure you, it is far less boring than Romeo and Juliet.
"Take your bow, Simbon,
Take your bow and let us go,
Take your bow, Sologon Djata"
Hymn of The Bow: Balla Fasseke, the Mansa's Griot
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
2014:
Read twice for my history class
Interesting read about the power of a leader and destiny as well as the necessity of story-telling and history-keeping.
2016:
Cool insights of Mali's history
Read twice for my history class
Interesting read about the power of a leader and destiny as well as the necessity of story-telling and history-keeping.
2016:
Cool insights of Mali's history