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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Another book I had to read for class. It reads like many of the epics I've had to read for school, but the tone is a little different (I guess would be the best way to put it). It's a little less academic and more story telling. All in all, pretty interesting.
This book taught me so much, and I found the style of storytelling fascinating. My lack of any sort of background knowledge made the story difficult to follow at times (mostly keeping track of names), but I really enjoyed getting a look into the story of Sundiata. I think this was a really valuable read for school.
informative
medium-paced
A great rundown of a Malian history, and more importantly, a spotlight on oral history and its importance. At the beginning, and dotted throughout the transcription, is the griot (or jeli or kevel or gewel) explaining the place of oral history and how Europeans dismiss it because it's not written down. And because that history is dismissed, it is ignored and erased. A people "without history" are much easier to oppress, as we've seen throughout history. It's comparable to how settlers treated Native Americans.
Oral history places emphasis on community and generational relationships, something that European/-descendant peoples don't hold in as much high regard. They should be transcribed and translated for a wider audience, for the sake of spreading knowledge and NOT "to make it legitimate." It's legitimate all on its own.
I would like to see this re-translated, without as much of a French point-of-view, but any work has to be filtered through a point-of-view when translated, so I wonder if that's unfair to ask?
Oral history places emphasis on community and generational relationships, something that European/-descendant peoples don't hold in as much high regard. They should be transcribed and translated for a wider audience, for the sake of spreading knowledge and NOT "to make it legitimate." It's legitimate all on its own.
I would like to see this re-translated, without as much of a French point-of-view, but any work has to be filtered through a point-of-view when translated, so I wonder if that's unfair to ask?
This was an awesome thing to read. I read it for a history class, and it taught me more about the history of Africa than any textbook could, if gave me the mindset, culture, and social structure (both trans-society and familial) as well as political structure of early Africa. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a peek at history - not only does it give an excellent example of history, it is also a captivating and well written story about the Man with Two Names, the King Sundiata, son of Sogolon.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced