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Sunjata (or Sundiata) Links and Bibliography
Annotations by Michele Delattre, ORIAS

Sundiata links  and Books Background 1999 ORIAS Institute
Live Resources Standards Back to ORIAS home

Sunjata (also "Sundiata")

  • Kennedy Center sites for the classroom:

    http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-6-8/Sundiata.aspx
    Lesson plan using Artsedge site
    This lesson introduces the legendary Malian king Sundiata Keita, known as the Lion King of Mali, by using elements of traditional Malian festivals. As students learn about Sundiata's thirteenth-century battle to liberate his people from an oppressive ruler, they will recreate the story in a masked festival that takes elements from two of the most important Malian ceremonies: the Dama and the Sirige. As students work in groups to design a Sundiata festival, they will create character masks based on animals whose qualities mimic the personalities of specific characters in the story. In preparation for this, students will research the behavior and habitat of the animals that on which their masks are based. Students will also explore archetypal patterns seen in myths about heroes such as Sundiata.
  • Instruments 


Yacine Kouyate's balafon - top (above) and gourds underneath. Played on the top like a xylophone, this instrument is discovered by Sundiata's griot in the sorceror king Sumanguru (or "Sumaoro" 's) study. The balafon also appears in other variations of the story associated with the Soso king. In the Condé version recorded by Conrad (see bibliography), Sumanguru's sister sacrifices herself to a powerful genie in exchange for a magic balafon for her brother.

 

Yacine Kouyate playing a kora.

 

 
Books
  • Ralph A. Austen, ed. In Search of Sunjata: The Mande Oral Epic As History, Literature, and Performance. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1999.

    • This is one of the few English language collections of scholarly articles on the epic. It has articles on elements of the setting, history, oral and literary traditions and performance as well as an extensive bibliography. Available in paperback for under $20.

  • Roland Bertol, Sundiata, The Epic of the Lion King (Illustrated by Gregorio Prestopino). NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1970.

    • For this retelling of the story for young readers, Roland Bertol relies heavily on Arab sources. The story reflects this in casting Sumanguru as a very evil pagan king and Sundiata as the champion of Islam. It is the only version I've seen which incorporates the story of Sumanguru killing Sundiata's twelve brothers. The role of women is reduced -- Sundiata walks in order to defy Sumanguru, rather than to aid his mother and Bala Fasseke, rather than Sundiata's sister, uncovers the secret of Sumanguru's weakness. Out of print but available in many libraries.

  • David C. Conrad, ed. Epic Ancestors of the Sunjata Era: Oral Tradition from the Maninka of Guinea. Illustrated by Mohamed Chejan Kromah and Sidiki Doumbia. University of Wisconsin - Madison, African Studies Program. Available for $30 from Africa Studies Program - Publications, 205 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Sunjata is a living epic, currently being performed everywhere from family compounds to radio broadcasts by different jeliw in West Africa. This collection of current versions translated from market tapes (with notes and illustrations) is very accessible and an excellent way to explore and enjoy the story as it lives today.
  • David C. Conrad, trans and ed. Sunjata A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing, Inc., 2004.
    ISBN: 0-87220-697-1 (List price: $9.95 paperback)
    Great teaching resource -- well-annotated and rich collection of stories from the epic.
    ORIAS review by Michele Delattre
    On the Hackett Press site: 10-min audio sample of recording (4.8 MB) of Djanka Tassey Condé's performance of the Sunjata epic. http://www.hackettpublishing.com/content.php?page=sunsup
    "This sample begins with a few minutes of quiet conversation as Condé prepares for his performance. Condé then calls for Mamadi Kouyate, his naamu-sayer. Upon hearing Kouyate's reply, Condé delivers the Islamic blessing and introductory remarks that open David C. Conrad's translation (lines 1-32), introduces some of the epic's principal characters, and launches into the early parts of his narrative."
  • Jali Kunda: Griots of West Africa and Beyond 96-page book & 1 CD Set $29.95
    • "Contemporary and Traditional West African Griot music In West Africa, the Griot (or Jali), is not just a musician. The Griot is historian, entertainer, myth maker and more. For more than 1,500 years this expert musician class have been "walking libraries," responsible for preserving the region's wisdom and ancient historic lore. Epic songs, family histories and one of the world's richest instrumental traditions are passed from generation to generation through arduous musical training, ensuring that the Jali Kunda (Griot Family) endures. Features tracks with Foday Musa Suso, Philip Glass and Pharoah Sanders Produced by Bill Laswell Introduction by Robert Palmer."
    The accompanying book has lots of beautiful photos of contemporary griots-- both men and women -- and brief interviews. The CD has two versions of the Sundiata praise song: "while the words remain basically the same, instruments and tunings vary from one region to another. The version for balafon, drums and voice (track 2) was recorded in Tabato, Guinea-Bissau. Another rendition (track 7) using only female singers was recorded in Kolda, Senegal. Available at Amazon.com.
  • Will Eisner. Sundiata: A Legend of Africa (Graphic novel).
    Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing; New Ed edition (March 2003) $7.95
    • This graphic novel focuses on Sumanguru as a greedy villain and features the action-packed images Eisner is famous for. It represents an American visualization of the story and would best be used in combination with an African version in the context of how authors in oral, textual, and graphic traditions all adapt to their audiences.
  • Camara Laye. (trans. from French by James Kirkup) The Guardian of the Word. NY: Vintage Books, 1984.
    • This vivid novelistic retelling of the epic by the Guinean writer was awarded a prize by France's foremost literary institution. It makes an especially terrific adult read after becoming familiar with the bones of the story in Niane's more traditional rendition below. Unfortunately Laye's book is currently out of print.
  • D.T. Niane. Sundiata and Epic of Old Mali. Longman African Writers, 1994.
    • An accessible, authentic reconstruction of the story in English used as a basis for most of the summaries and children's versions for classroom use. After a few pages of requisite geneologies it moves right into the action and can be used as a text for 7th grade or high school readers. The paperback is available for under $14.00.
  • David Wisnieweski. Sundiata: Lion King of Mali. NY: Clarion Books, 1992.
      • This is a popular picture book features Wisniewski's stunning papercuts. There is not enough text to use as a literary source for middle or high school, but it is fun to read aloud and makes a good brief introduction to the plot and characters. The paperback version is widely available for under $6.00 and the hardback for under $18.00.

Live/film resources

  • Yacine Kouyate sings songs from the Sunjata story. (These video files are somewhat corrupted and there is apparently no way of fixing them - my apologies.)

  • On the Hackett Press site: 10-min audio sample of recording (4.8 MB) of Djanka Tassey Condé's performance of the Sunjata epic. (See David C. Conrad in "Books.")
    http://www.hackettpublishing.com/sunsup

    FILM
    Keita: The Heritage of the Griot
    Director: Dani Kouyaté
    Film notes from California Newsreel http://newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0050
    "Keita creates a unique world where the West Africa of the 13th Century Sundjata Epic and the West Africa of today co-exist and interpenetrate. Director Dani Kouyaté frames his dramatization of the epic within the story of Mabo Keïta, contemporary boy from Burkina Faso, learning the history of his family. During the film, Mabo and his distant ancestor, Sundjata, engage in parallel quests to understand their destinies, to "know the meaning of their names." In so doing, Keita makes the case for an "Afrocentric" education, where African tradition, not an imported Western curricula is the necessary starting point for African development"
    *Newsreel site includes a facilitator's guide for the film.
    http://newsreel.org/guides/keita.htm

Background on Africa during the Mali Empire.

  • ORIAS bibliography of recommended fiction for teaching about Africa. http://orias.berkeley.edu/summer2001/bibliographies.html
  • Other Africa links on ORIAS
    http://orias.berkeley.edu/internat.html#AFRICA
    • About the History Through Literature Project. . .

    This website is maintained by the Office of Resources for International and Area Studies (ORIAS), a unit of International and Area Studies (IAS) at the University of California, Berkeley. 5/07 Links updated 5/11