The epic begins with a lion and a buffalo. When a jeli sings the story of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire in the thirteenth century, he recites a history passed down through his family for generations. Griots, known as jeli in the Mande languages, are West Africa’s living archives.
A hereditary role
Among the Mande peoples of Mali, Guinea, Senegal, the Gambia and neighbouring countries, griots are born into their role. Families such as the Kouyaté, Diabaté and Cissoko have been jeli for centuries. Children learn music, genealogies and stories from their elders.
Historians
Before writing was widespread, griots preserved history. They memorised the names of rulers, the deeds of heroes and the lineages of families. The epic of Sundiata, which tells how a disabled boy became a great king, has been preserved largely through griot performance.
Praise singers
Griots also praise patrons at weddings, naming ceremonies and celebrations, reciting their ancestry and achievements. Patrons reward them with money and gifts. Praise singing can be flattering, but it also reminds people of the standards their ancestors set.
Instruments
The kora, a harp-lute with twenty-one strings, is the most famous griot instrument. The balafon, a wooden xylophone, and the ngoni, a lute, are also central. The Kouyaté family is associated with the balafon through the legend of the Sosso Bala, an ancient balafon still kept in Guinea.
Advisers
Historically, griots served as advisers and spokespeople for kings. In negotiations and disputes, a griot could speak words that a noble could not say directly.
Modern stars
Many of West Africa’s most famous musicians come from griot families. Toumani Diabaté, the kora master, and his son Sidiki, the singers Mory Kanté and Kandia Kouyaté, and others carried griot traditions into modern music and global stages.
Change
Today, griots compete with radio, television and recorded music. Some complain that praise singing has become commercial. Yet weddings and ceremonies across the Mande world still feature jeli, and their knowledge of history is still respected.
The epic of Sundiata
In the griot telling, Sundiata was born unable to walk and mocked as a child. One day he stood, using an iron bar that bent under his weight, and later grew into a warrior. Exiled, he returned to defeat the sorcerer-king Soumaoro Kanté of Sosso and founded the Mali Empire. The epic includes the griot Balla Fasséké, who served Sundiata and helped him regain his kingdom. Every telling differs slightly, because griots adapt the story to their audience, but its core has survived for centuries.
A library can burn and a hard drive can fail. A griot family that has sung the same epic for seven centuries is a different kind of archive, one that lives in voices.
