Latest / Mansa Musa: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived — Fexingo History
Mansa Musa’s Griots: Power, Memory, and the Sundiata Epic
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the role of griots in the Mali Empire, focusing on how these oral historians preserved dynastic memory and legitimized Mansa Musa’s rule. They delve into the Sundiata epic, the earliest known West African oral tradition, and discuss how griots like Balla Fasséké used the kora and their prodigious memories to record everything from genealogy to law. The conversation also touches on the griots’ social status, their training, and their political influence as advisors and ambassadors. Lucas explains how the griot tradition contrasts with written history…
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