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houxli 's review for:
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali
by Djibril Tamsir Niane
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?