Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Sunjata)

Djeli Mamoudou Kouyaté introduces himself to the listener. He is a griot, “son of Bintou Kouyaté and Djeli Kedian Kouyaté, master in the art of eloquence since time immemorial” (1). He notes that without griots, “the names of kings would vanish into oblivion” (1). Kouyaté explains that as a griot, he is responsible for keeping the history of Mandinka culture, advising kings, and serving as their mouthpieces. He tells the listener that he will tell “the story of him who, by his exploits, surpassed even Alexander the Great […] Maghan Sundiata […] the man of many names against whom sorcery could avail nothing” (1-2).

Sundiata is “great among kings […] peerless among men […] beloved by God because he was the last of the great conquerors” (2). He is the product of a long lineage of kings leading to Sundiata’s father, Naré Maghan Kon Fatta. The first of these kings listed by Kouyaté is Bilial Bouname, ancestor of the Keitas (Mali’s ruling dynasty) and servant of the Prophet Muhammad. Bouname’s great grandson is Lahitoul Kalabi, the first black prince to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Lahitoul had two sons: Kalabi Bomba, who ruled Mali, and Kalabi Dauman, who “preferred fortune and wealth and became the ancestor of all those who go from country to country seeking their fortune” (3).