Griots of West Africa

The Griot of West Africa, known in the Mande languages as the jeli (sometimes jali or dieli), is one of the most ancient and most carefully trained of the world’s oral performers. The griot is at once historian, genealogist, advisor, diplomat, musician, and praise-singer, and the role has been preserved, in recognisably the same form, for more than seven centuries in the Mande-speaking world of Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and The Gambia. In modern times the griot tradition has spread, in the African diaspora, to the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.

The Mande Tradition

The Mande-speaking world stretches from the upper Niger river basin in Mali to the Atlantic coast of Senegal and The Gambia. In this wide region, the griot tradition has been preserved, in recognisably the same form, since at least the thirteenth century, when the Sundiata epic — the founding epic of the Mali Empire — was first recited at the court of Sundiata Keita. The earliest references to the griot in Arabic sources date from the fourteenth century.

The Mande tradition is, in a sense, the heartland of the griot world. The role of the jeli is hereditary: the children of a griot become griots, and the children of a noble become nobles. The two castes — the nyamakala (the griots and the artisans) and the hòrò (the nobles) — have intermarried, in the Mande world, for centuries, and the relationship is one of mutual dependence. The noble provides the patron, and the griot provides the memory.

The Jeli as Historian, Genealogist, and Praise-Singer

The jeli is, in the first instance, the historian of the community. The griot preserves the Sundiata, the founding epic of the Mali Empire, in a cycle of songs and recitations that can take many hours to perform. The griot also preserves the genealogies of the noble families, reciting the names of the ancestors back for thirty or forty generations.

The jeli is, in the second instance, the advisor and diplomat of the noble household. The griot is consulted on matters of marriage, of war, of land, and of law. The griot is also the praise-singer of the chief, composing and reciting the praises that celebrate the chief’s deeds and the chief’s ancestors. The praises are not empty flattery: they are a form of public accountability, in which the chief is reminded, in front of the gathered community, of who he is and what is expected of him.

The jeli is, in the third instance, the musician of the community. The griot plays the kora (a 21-stringed instrument with a large calabash resonator), the ngoni (a smaller stringed instrument), the balafon (a wooden xylophone), and the djembe (a goblet-shaped hand drum). The griot sings, recites, and plays, often in the same performance.

The Kora and the Ngoni

The kora is the signature instrument of the Mande griot. The kora is a 21-stringed instrument built on a large calabash resonator, with a long hardwood neck and a bridge that rests on the skin of the calabash. The strings, originally made of animal gut, are now often made of nylon. The kora is played by the griot sitting on a low stool or chair, with the instrument held upright in front of the body, and the two hands plucking the strings on either side of the bridge. The ngoni is the smaller stringed instrument of the Mande world, the ancestor of the West African banjo.

The Jaliya: The Art of the Griot

The jaliya is the art of the griot, the body of knowledge, skill, and lore that the griot masters over a lifetime. The jaliya includes the genealogies, the songs, the instrumental music, the praise-poems, the historical narratives, the proverbs, the etiquette of the court, and the proper conduct of public occasions. The jaliya is, in a sense, the curriculum of the griot school, and the apprenticeship that a young griot serves is the means by which the jaliya is transmitted.

The Famous Griots of the Sundiata Epic

The Sundiata epic, the founding epic of the Mali Empire, has been preserved in the griot tradition for more than seven centuries. The most famous of the early griots in the epic is Balla Fasséké (also written Bala Faseke Kouyaté), the griot of Sundiata Keita himself. According to the epic, Balla Fasséké was the son of a griot of the old Sosso Empire, and he was given to Sundiata as a companion. When Sundiata defeated the Sosso king Sumanguru Kanté at the Battle of Kirina in 1235, Balla Fasséké composed the praise of the new empire and the new mansa, the emperor.

In the modern era, the most famous griot of the Sundiata cycle was Djelimady Tamsir, a griot of the Kouyaté family who lived in the village of Krina in Guinea. Djelimady Tamsir was recorded by the Guinean government in the 1960s and 1970s, and his recitations are the basis of the modern critical edition of the epic. Other famous griots of the modern era include Sory Kandia Kouyaté, the Senegalese griot who became a national celebrity, and Mory Kanté, the Guinean griot and musician whose song Yéké Yéké became an international hit in 1987.

The Training of the Griot from Childhood

The training of a griot begins in childhood. A young person born into a griot family is expected to begin learning the genealogies, the songs, and the instrumental music at an early age, often before the age of ten. The training is rigorous: the young griot is expected to memorise hundreds of songs and genealogies, and to master the playing of the kora or the ngoni to a high level of technical proficiency.

The training is, in many cases, an apprenticeship to an older griot, often a parent, an uncle, or a more distant kinsman. The young griot sits at the feet of the older griot at the court, at the ceremony, and at the public occasion, watching, listening, and learning. The training can last for twenty years or more, and the full recognition of the young griot as a master is often delayed until the griot is in middle age.

The Griot in Modern Politics and Diplomacy

The griot has played an important role in modern West African politics and diplomacy. The griot has served, in many cases, as the spokesperson and the advisor of political leaders, and the griot’s praises have been used to celebrate the new political order. The Sory Kandia Kouyaté tradition in Senegal, the Mory Kanté tradition in Guinea, the Habib Koité tradition in Mali, and the Toumani Diabaté tradition of the kora are all examples of the modern continuation of the jeli’s role. The griot has also been used, in the modern era, as a kind of unofficial diplomat, carrying messages between chiefs and mediating disputes.

The Survival of the Griot Tradition in the Diaspora

The griot tradition has survived, in remarkable form, in the African diaspora. In Senegal, in particular, the griot tradition is still a living part of the national culture. In the United States, in the Caribbean, and in France, the griot tradition has been taken up by African-American and Francophone African musicians and storytellers, often with a strong political edge. The griot has also been the subject of a number of recent works in the African folk tradition, including the Anansi figure in West African folklore.

The Griot in the Wider Oral Tradition

The griot is, in the framework of the oral storytelling section, one of the most elaborate of the world’s oral traditions. The griot’s combination of historical memory, genealogical depth, musical skill, and diplomatic authority has no exact parallel elsewhere, though it has obvious kinship with the Norse Skald, the Celtic bard, the Homeric rhapsode, and the Indian kathakaar. The connection to the Norse Skald is particularly close: both the griot and the skald were court performers, both composed praise of the king, both used a highly developed verse form, and both occupied a hereditary role at the centre of the political order. The connection to the seasonal festivals of the West African year is also close: the griot performed at the New Yam Festival, at the Ramadan celebrations, and at the harvest festivals.

Sources and Further Reading

Hoffman, Barbara G. Griots at War: Conflict, Conciliation, and Caste in Mande. Indiana University Press, 2000.
Belcher, Sally. Epic Traditions of Africa. Indiana University Press, 1999.
Conrad, David C., and Condé, Djanka Tasse, eds. Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mandinka People. Hackett, 2004.
Jansen, Jan, and Rouveroy van Nieuwaal, E. A. B. van, eds. Jali and the Mande Jeliw: The Historian as Storyteller and Musician in the Mande World. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 1996.