MALI: Griots, Mali's traditional story tellers struggle to remain relevant in modern society, having been an important pillar of life in the west African nation for centuries

Record ID: 260949

  • Title: MALI: Griots, Mali's traditional story tellers struggle to remain relevant in modern society, having been an important pillar of life in the west African nation for centuries
  • Date: 29th July 2011
  • Summary: TWO GIRLS WATCHING
  • Embargoed: 13th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mali, Mali
  • Country: Mali
  • Topics: Arts,History
  • Reuters ID: LVA2FDOZMKHULSV3P6RIRWLCJ8DZ
  • Story Text: The village of Kela in Mali comes alive with the sound of music as residents gather to listen to songs, poems and stories told by traditional griots.
    For centuries, griots -- traveling story tellers and musicians who use music and poetry to transmit messages and history, have been part of Malian life.
    Griots are considered keepers of traditional values passed down through generations.
    But in contemporary Mali, griots are struggling to remain relevant and are making great efforts to encourage the youth to carry on their customs.
    Kela is home to five different griot families who form part of a huge extended network all over Mali.
    The Diabaté clan are the most prominent griots in Kela.
    "We have a saying, that the importance of blood in the human body has the same importance as the griot in society and a society without griots is a society that has dried up," said Ibrahim Diabate, a griot.
    The Diabate family elder and Chief of griots of Kela, Yamoudou Diabate says that one of the tasks of the older griots is to try and pass on the skill to the youth.
    "The griots' responsibilities are varied. We are charged with the task to teach our children and they are free to choose the subjects that suits them best: musical performance, oral history and genealogy, or praise songs," he said.
    For many children, griots are a source of entertainment, making for an interesting subject to re-enact in games.
    While it may be game for the children today, older griots are happy that the younger generation are paying attention and hope that with time they will take up the tradition as an important part of modern life.
    "We have seen our relatives' marriage celebrations and now we are here re-enacting the ceremonies. We choose amongst ourselves who will play which role. The older kids instruct the younger ones," said Sekouba Diabate, child of a griot.
    Anthropologist Amara Keita, says that although griots still play an important role in Malian society, especially in solving family conflicts, modern developments have diminished their role, especially in urban cities like the capital Bamako.
    Keita says being a griot has become a business where griots are no longer attached to one family with intimate knowledge of family affairs and history, but instead perform at weddings and social functions for a fee.
    "The role of the griot has undergone lots of change. The griots no longer have time to learn what griots are. They practise a profession that they don't master. Years ago, griots would learn from a griot teacher who taught them, but nowadays the griots don't have teachers, at least here in Bamako town," he said.
    To ensure that the youth follow in the elder's footsteps, Ibrahim Diabate has set up an association for young people who want to learn what it truly means to be a griot.
    "Generally, we practice the oral history, not only music, but we also learn dance percussion and history are transmitted verbally like our ancestors did from generation to generation under a tree," he said.
    Although griots are synonymous with Mali, they also live in many other parts of West Africa, including the Gambia, Guinea Senegal, Mauritania and Western Sahara.
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