Kuma Malinke Historiography: Sundiata Keita to Almamy Samori Toure

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Founded in the early thirteenth century, the Mali Empire stretched from the Atlantic coast of West Africa across the savannah lands to Timbuktu and Gao. Comprised of multiple ethnics groupsthe Soninke, the Mandenka, Fula, Sosso, Tuareg, Sonrai, AlmoravidsMali was politically dominated by the Mandenka people who developed a comprehensive, eloquent, and ennobling historical tradition that has garnered international recognition and praise. Combining music, poetry, drama, storytelling, genealogy, history, and philosophy, the Malinke griot or jeli interprets Malis history both aesthetically and discursively with the utilitarian objective of maintaining peaceful and ethical social relations within the empire. Far more than a storyteller, the Malinke historians broad scope of knowledge enables them to perform multifaceted roles in the society. He/she is a political advisor, ambassador, judicial advisor, cultural and social anthropologist, historian, genealogist, mediator of domestic and national disputes, officiator of rites of passage ceremonies, musician, poet, and teacher. Kuma Malinke Historiography: Sundiata Keita to Almamy Samori Toure examines the philosophy of history and methodology of the Malinke historians through an in-depth analysis of historical oral literature and the griots own theories of the art of history. Kai discusses griot accounts of major historical figures, such as Sundiata Keita, Sumanguru Kante, Sogolon Conde, Mansa Musa, Manding Bokari (Abubakr Muhammad II), Biton Koulibaly, Almamy Samori Toure, and their impact on Malis history. Significant components of Malinke history that had been kept secret by a general consensus of master griots are exposed for the first time in the English language in this highly informative and insightful text.

Reviews

Works of historiography generally are not characterized as scintillating. Yet, Nubia Kai has produced a work that is fascinating, sometimes exciting, and possibly just possibly somewhat controversial. Kuma Malinke Historiography is a work of value to anyone dedicated to the craft of doing history any history. * Journal of the African Literature Association *

Author Bio

Nubia Kai is assistant professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at Howard University, and has been published in Black Scholar, Black American Literature Forum, and Journal of the African Literature Association.