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 …show more content…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sundiata developed into a great leader of Mali through hardships, religion, and core/tributary/periphery relationships of states. The djeli who transmitted this information to the translators, is also a manifestation of an institution important in Sundiata’s epic, because without djelis these stories would be lost forever. Sundiata learned about the formation, running and maintenance of African states through interactions with the communities he was introduced to.
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
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
It is an account of the lasting effect the entire story of Sundiata had on Mabo’ s personality. Following the mysterious disappearance of Griot Kouyaté, the disorientated Mabo who goes in search of him, bumps into the hunter who had appeared at decisive moments in the course of the film’s narrative, and he asks him to answer the unanswered question – the meaning of his name. This episode helps establish the fact that the result of Mabo’s contact with the griot has paid off: he gets absorbed in a kind of mythical thinking and invokes the protection of the bird flying right up in the
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
Equiano was the embodiment of politicized transition from oral to literature culture. After a forceful removal from Africa, Equiano found himself in West indie as a slave, he then had to adapt to the new culture and system of expression. Having come from a society where information and power was associated with oral expression, he quickly found out that in this new land reading and writing are the empowering tool with which an African can free himself. The conflict between the two cultures is depicted in Equiano’s first contact with a book, where he wrote of how he was often curious whenever he saw his master reading a book, and he was eager to talk to the book as he thought the books were eager to talk to him (Equiano 69)
...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.
The Kingdom of Mali was an African hub of wealth, trade and education for over 225 years. Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word that means, “Where the king dwells”, and was vitally important in spreading trade, education, religion and culture along the Niger River. The rise of Mali into an Empire occurred in the early 13th century, when Sundiata defeated his enemies and won control of the West African gold mines. In 1312 Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali. During his reign which was known as Mali’s, “Golden Age”, he introduced Islamic beliefs to many communities along the Niger and enhanced education after his historic pilgrimage to Mecca. Mali’s rise was attributed to the Trans-Saharan Trade routes leading to and from Western and Eastern Africa. These trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of powerful African Kingdoms for hundreds of years, but for 250 years, Mali was the crown jewel of Africa.
In Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie attempts to use history in order to gain leverage on the present, to subvert the single story stereotypes that dominate many contemporary discourses on Africa. Written in the genre of historical fiction, Adichie’s novel transcends beyond mere historical narration and recreates the polyphonic experiences of varying groups of people in Nigeria before and after the Civil War. She employs temporal distortion in her narrative, distorting time in order to illustrate the intertwining effects of the past and present, immersing deep into the impact of western domination that not only catalyzed the war, but continues to affect contemporary Africa. In this paper, I will analyze her portrayal of the multifaceted culture produced by colonialism – one that coalesces elements from traditional African culture with notions of western modernity to varying degrees. I will argue that Adichie uses a range of characters, including Odenigbo’s mother, Ugwu, Olanna and Kainene, to each represent a point in a spectrum between tradition and modernity. Through her juxtaposition, she undermines the stereotypes that continue to characterize Africa as backwards and traditional, proving instead that colonialism has produced a cross culture where the two are intertwined.
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...