The African continent is a region of vast wealth in natural resources such as minerals. Besides, its history since ancient times is out of the ordinary and great. Comparing it with other continent’s history, African history seems to explain more about the evolution of the world to the present day. Therefore, Africans and the rest of the world need to study African history to understand the current world better. Records say that the 1st human beings on earth were in the African region. Then the big question is, who are the Griots in Africa?
Africa is diverse, and it has several communities and languages. Some historians have thoroughly researched the history of most African people and have shared knowledge. However, there are some groups of people in African society that researchers or people have either ignored or under-appreciated. An example of such is the griots.
Several people have questioned the reliance on the Griot culture, as people have lost oral records because of destruction. Bearing it in mind, African history depended on oral transmission from one generation to the next. There are also those people who do not consider the griot’s way as a valid form of keeping records. This article will explain why historians need to consider the griots in their research because they are of value. So, who exactly are the Griots?
The Griots
A griot is a West African historian, a praise singer, or a musician. The griot had a lot of information on oral tradition and people see him as a leader because of their position as an advisor to royal people such as kings. The earliest reference to griots in the western part of the continent comes from the Soninke Daus. These soninke griots inform us of the 1st griot who came into existence. According to the Soninke, the 1st griot was a man by the name of Gasser.
The other reference to the griots was in the Mali Kingdom. In Eastern Sudan, people referred to the mates of the griots in the western region of Africa as Wali. In other Islamized North African areas, people knew them as marabouts.
The griot styles differentiated from one region to the other and at times involved background singers who played musical instruments. Griots who were part of the royal empires of the western region of the continent gained fame, riches, and had complex responsibilities.
Their Roles
Among the Bambara people, people knew griots Deli Fama. People considered them as keeper of words. They served as court historians and mediators during conflicts or disputes. They aided to facilitate political marriages by bringing together the couple and the whole families.
They ensured to keep the history alive for the king, court participants, and royal descendants by telling their whole lineage. Among the Akan people, the griots performed for the native people when they installed a new leader as a king.
Griots’ Musical Instruments
They used instruments such as the kora, the khalam, the goje, the balafon, and the ngoni. The Kora is a long-necked lute-like instrument with more than 17 strings. The xalam consists of less than 5 strings. The ngoni has about 5 stings and the balafon is a wooden xylophone.
Present Day Griots
The present-day griots’ presentations have helped researchers in various ways, aiding them to explain their reconstruction of physical remains of the past.
In Burkina Faso, we have notable griots such as Sotigui Kouyaté and Dani Kouyate. Ivory Coast has Tiken Jah Fakoly, Gambia (Lamin Saho, Foday Musa Suso, and Papa Susso). Senegal and Mali have the highest numbers of notable griots.
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