Mansa Musa's Griots: The Keepers of Mali's Oral History

Mansa Musa: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived — Fexingo History · May 12, 2026 · 6m · transcript

In Episode 40 of Fexingo History's Mansa Musa series, Lucas and Luna explore the crucial role of griots in the Mali Empire. These oral historians were not just praise-singers but the living archives of the Mande people, preserving genealogies, laws, and epic tales like the Epic of Sundiata. Lucas explains how griots underwent rigorous training from childhood, memorizing centuries of history verbatim, and how their art of verbal artistry ensured the continuity of Mali's legacy long after its decline. The episode delves into specific griot families, the instruments they used (like the…