Mansa Musa's Griot Legacy: The Sundiata Epic and Oral History

Mansa Musa: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived — Fexingo History · May 1, 2026 · 5m · transcript

This episode explores the role of the griot in preserving Mansa Musa's legacy and the Mali Empire's history. Lucas and Luna delve into the epic of Sundiata Keita, the founder of the empire, as told through generations of oral historians. They discuss how griots like Balla Fasséké used the kora and their memory to pass down genealogies, laws, and heroic tales. The episode touches on the controversy of oral vs. written history, the training of griots, and how the Sundiata epic was finally transcribed in the 20th century by Djibril Tamsir Niane. Listeners will learn about the role of…