Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali

by Mamadou Kouyaté (Teller), Djibril Tamsir Niane (Translator)

This is a revision of Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali, a best seller for 30 years.

Retold by griots, the guardians of African Culture, this oral tradition has been handed down from the thirteenth century and captures all the mystery and majesty of medieval African kingship. It is the epic tale, based on an actual figure, of Sundiata (Sunjata). Part history and part legend, it tells how Sundiata fulfilled the prophesies that he would unite the twelve kingdoms of Mali into a powerful empire.

This Revised Edition includes background information which provides a geographical, religious, social, and political context for the story. A 'who's who of characters' and 'a glossary of places' will enhance the reader's experience.

Genres: Africa, History, Classics, Mythology, School, African Literature, Mali

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other peoples use writing to record the past, but this invention has killed the faculty of memory among them. They do not feel the past any more, for writing lacks the warmth of the human voice. With them everybody thinks he knows, whereas learning should be a secret. The prophets did not write and their words have been all the more vivid as a result. What paltry learning is that which is congealed in dumb books!

says Mamadou Kouyaté, the griot, or oral storyteller, who's reciting this story. It's the 800-year-old story of Sundiata (pronounced Soonjata), the greatest king of Mali and the greatest conqueror since Alexander.

Here's the story: this one king is ordered by prophecy to marry this ugly lady, the ugliest hunchback in the land, which he does but she refuses to fuck him until finally he says whoops my bad I'm actually supposed to sacrifice you, not fuck you, and she gets so scared she passes out and then he fucks her while she's passed out, so, like, good plan? This is gross but no grosser than a bunch of stuff from the Edda. Their son is Sundiata.

Sundiata is super lazy: at seven he still isn't walking, just sitting around eating. When other kids get near him he punches them without even getting off his ass. Finally, when he realizes that his dead father's first wife is humiliating his mom about it, he gets a huge iron rod and struggles mightily to his feet. His immense strength reminds you of Cu Chulainn, the hero of the Irish epic The Tain.

That first wife, an evil stepmother of sorts, understands Sundiata as a danger to her own son Dankaran Touman, who has taken the throne, so she plots Sundiata's death. Being only ten he flees with his mom and half brother Manding Bory. They are pursued by the stepmother, who continually tries to have them murdered. They travel to Guiana and much of northern and Eastern Africa. They are and are among Muslims.

Meanwhile the evil sorcerer King Soumaoro takes over Mali, defeating cowardly Dankaran Touman. Sundiata returns to Mali to defeat Soumaoro. There is a great battle just like in medieval epics like Song of Roland: cavalry and archers. Sundiata's half-sister plays a crucial role in exposing Soumaoro's Achilles heel. There's a roll call like in The Iliad (also: Bring It On).

I'm naming similarities to other epics, but I don't mean to imply that this isn't a specifically African saga. It has African touches - like, when envoys from Mali are searching for hiding Sundiata, they pose as merchants selling Malian produce (gnougnou), waiting until someone is excited to buy it. This person, they figure, may know how to find Sundiata.

Soumaoro gets a sortof weird, murky, ambiguous ending. Other griots tell different endings, apparently. That's a weird thing about oral tradition, right? While it's theoretically possible to pass on a completely faithful, canonical version of a story orally, it's not realistic. So these are by nature evolving stories, with regional differences. There is no definitive version.

The other thing about oral tradition is that it restricts knowledge to those who orally deliver it. Mamadou Kouyaté says "Mali keeps its secrets jealously. There are things which the uninitiated will never know, for the griots, their depositories, will never betray them. ... I took an oath to teach only what is to be taught and to conceal what is to be kept concealed." We're talking about the control of knowledge here. Literacy (and written things to read using it) gives power to the people. So I'm suspicious of the whole concept of oral tradition.

But anyway, that horse is well out of the barn because I just read a book. I thought it was great. It was an exciting story; it was interesting to compare it to other medieval epics, with which it shares a remarkable number of similarities. I'm glad someone finally wrote it down.

[Gohnar23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books read & reviewed: 6️⃣2️⃣🥖4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣


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4️⃣🌟, pwd representation haha, anyways cool epic about heroism and fighting for what's in your destiny. Very short book, very coool
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Sundiata, ah,. Our current lesson here, it's fascinating to say that everyone else (my classmates) had only red the summary of this epic. It takes time to truly appreciate and read the original literature (i mean as culture being culture this story is actually passed through "griots", they're basically storytellers, musicians and oral historians in west african culture who tell these types of stories for generations)

Sundiata is a very heroic tale about a prince and founder of the Mali Empire (hard to believe that that is a real place) 😉 this may have a very simple pros but it doesn't negate the fact that this is very influential in their culture and i can see it! The heroism that sundiata encompasses in this story and even through all the prejudices that he experienced as a non-walking person as a kid. (I don't know the word for a person who can't like walk as a kid when normally kids can now walk at that stage of life and its like for a limited time that he cant walk but now he can walk okay 😆)




✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*Pre-Read✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Something weird with the walking part, finna read the whole theng, not the summary

[Yasmina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Il est venu.
Et le bonheur est venu.
Soundjata est là.
Et le bonheur est là."

J'avais déja lu cette histoire épique à l'université, quel bonheur d'en retrouver toute la saveur !
Cette épopée raconte la naissance de Soundjata devenu roi du Manding, & relatant la fondation de l'Empire du Mali par ce dernier au XIIIe s. Il est considéré comme étant le septième & dernier conquérant (après Alexandre le Grand) et reconnu par le peuple de l'Afriqueu de l'Ouest comme un vaillant guerrier pour avoir reunifié cette partie de l'Afrique mais aussi parce que durant son règne il a été un homme craint car ayant une force physique exceptionnelle, cette force etait utilisée afin de rendre justice aux malheureux et punir les plus vils.

A ce fait historique est greffé dans un récit un certain nombre de fait découlant du merveilleux : on y retrouve de la magie noire, des croyances liées à cette culture entre autres.
.. " il leur immola cent bœufs blancs, cent béliers blancs, cent coq blancs. Tous les coqs expirèrent sur le dos face au ciel : les génies avaient répondu favorablement."

Enfin, par dessus tout ce livre est un bel hommage à l'art du griot, cet homme de Sagesse indispensable dans les sociétés ancestrales et encore aujourd'hui qui détient comme le dit si bien DT Niane "la chaire d'Histoire dans les villages". En effet, le griot est le maître de la parole les sociétés africaines privilégiant la tradition orale accorde une importance sans précédent à cette castre. Généralement rattaché à une famille le métier de griot se transmet de père en fils & c'est celui qui connaît parfaitement l'Histoire de la lignée sur plusieurs générations pour pouvoir la transmettre aux générations futures. Très justement n'y a-t-il y pas une expression qui dit qu'à chaque fois qu'un griot meurt c'est une bibliothèque qui brûle !

Bonne lecture!

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find this book of the griot storytelling style fascinating. It is set in 12th century Mali. What you learn in this saga is how important the carriers of history are considered in these pre-literate societies. The knowledge of the towns, the history of the families, feuds and births and deaths. Living history. It is pleasant reading, yet historical. I learned that baraka means gifted one in the Mandingo language. It references Hannibal -I am disturbed by the treatment of women and their jealousy towards one another as they vie of the attention of the king.This of course goes on in any society where there is polygamy.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most engaging primary text I've had to read. Much more interesting and complex than "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (civilization became more complex since then), and more subtly plotted than the random events of "The Odyssey." Of course only fair to compare with a contemporary text--the works of Shakespeare. "Sundiata" is plotted like a modern suspense novel, but is 100% legible (perhaps because it was translated to English fairly recently).

Unfortunately there is a lot of sexism, but that's historical.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen then, sons of Mali, children of the black people, listen to my word, for I am going to tell you of Sundiata, the father of the Bright Country, of the savanna land, the ancestor of those who draw the bow, the master of a hundred vanquished kings.

[✨ Aaron Jeffery ✨]

down for now. one of my uni readings I do not have time for atm

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Mali, and I knew nothing about griots before I read this. So it was really interesting to see how this oral form of storytelling translated into text. There is definitely some things that I feel don't come across as well in this way as they would if there was someone telling the story out loud. Overall, I would say this is valuable, but not particularly enjoyable.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate that this book is no nonsense no description, just this happened and then this happened, boom the end. It was super boring tho.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading something far outside one's frame of reference is good for the soul that knows how to self-reflect appropriately, I've found. True, comprehension has a high chance of achieving an all time low and not every piece that's survived at least five centuries of hostile takeover by a foreign invader via land, mind, and, and history is the breeziest thing to get through, or the shortest. Still, it only takes the smallest combination of an unforeseen but deeply resonating phrase combined with a revelatory historical reference or a historical publication date, and suddenly one is in the plane of infinite universes of alternate possibilities, and I'm not talking about the wibbling shitfest of a movie conglomeration that refuses to let any of its characters die and thus loses the ability to spin worthy tales about being human. So, while this wasn't the most engaging read at times, I did find myself contemplating at times what it would mean had it been this work's morality, imperialist in tone and yet surprisingly equitable in practice, that had taken center stage for the last eight-hundred years or so of human history and shaped what we take for granted and what scary stories we tell in the dark. At the very least, had we centered ourselves around a griot far closer at hand than what was supposedly granted to us by a figure called Homer, we would have at least considered such storytelling of far more civilizational import than we do currently, and that's not something I find myself being able to criticize at the moment.

This is a story with a destined son of glory, fated by his notable long suffering mother and his accredited but rather normal (rape and all) leader father, signified by his superhuman coming of age and able take down of far older and institutionally powerful opponents, unsurpassed in masculinity and beyond compare in physical feat. And yet, when a jealous rival to his mother's position as queen sought to hex the young Sundiata through setting a number of old women sorcerers to provoke him into a rage via stealing his produce, Sundiata demonstrated his prophesized path to imperial renown through compassionate generosity, a feat he repeated through various instances of fair mediation and unjealous bequeathal. This is a historical figure who venerates the likes of Alexander the Great and takes great pride in adhering to the tenets of Islam, and if one followed modern day stereotypical considerations of what that combination of ideologies should achieve in a person, a noble and humanizing magnanimity is likely not what one would come up with. True, I'm not going to say the conception of women in the text was as humanized as it could have been, and the clutching of griots around their inherited knowledge seems rather trite in the wake of Snowden and co. However, this text still in certain respects stands in stark contrast to the sadism that is systematically indoctrinated at every level of 'civilization' these days, enough that the idea that folks could ever 'vote' their way back to such humanity grows increasingly absurd by the second.

I've now lived in my new place of residence for a little more than a month and have worked at the new position for which I relocated for about half that, so while not everything is still chaotically new, I'm still very much not completely settled. One of the better times, perhaps, to take in a familiar and yet majorly different system of morality, and unlike the boogeyman tales told of cannibalism and mass rapine that Euro types love to fill their fearmongering movies and video games with when it comes to encounters with the Other, this is something that status quo sentinels could well learn from. Also interesting was the tension between the oral inheritance and the written transmission, especially during the few but still noticeable instances when an endnote goes, well, actually, there are varieties, or this couldn't have been the case, or otherwise violates sacrosanctity of the griot's position in life as well as history. When it comes to such considerations, I refer back to Delany, who acknowledged both the proven facts and the tale worthy of being told and said the power lay not in which was correct, but in showcasing both and investigating the meaning of the divide(s). Sure, the world would move slower without the written word. But perhaps it be harder for people, both past and present, to sell their comrades in species in exchange for certain intricate scrawlings rendered on variously colored parchments. The world may never know.

There are some kings who are powerful through their military strength. Everybody trembles before them, but when they die nothing but ill is spoken of them. Others do neither good nor ill and when they die they are forgotten. Others are feared because they have power, but they know how to use it and they are loved because they love justice.

[Cristina Bozza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book really explores constant and recurring themes in life. We are often faced with trials and tribulations, journey and growth to access our full potential. I feel that this was a really good book and I recommend people read it.

[Mai-Lor-A-Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, captivating...a window into historical Africa unblemished by the eyes of non-Africans.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I think it would take a couple read-throughs to understand all of this. Still, I loved the story. It was fun to read and like most things from other cultures, it was informative.

[Selene Velez · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was for school 🤝

[Catherine Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Can’t wait to teach it. The oral tradition of sexy lore is everything. I swear. I could teach epic poetry every day of my life.

[S. Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali

D.T. Niane wrote this oral tradition down into words in 1960 in order to portray the story of an African king by the name of Sundiata. Set in old Africa, the story of Sundiata was originally transferred from generation to generation by word of mouth or oral tradition. Niane, a historian from the University of Bordeaux in France, wrote the book as a way to disprove the idea that oral traditions are invalid in historical work and also to preserve the culture’s tradition. In his preface, Niane notes that one of his main purposes for writing the book was to keep the knowledge of the story clear and to define these traditions explicitly for the future generations of kings and of griots in the new Mali of Africa. While the book was an exciting read about a great historical age by showing strength with the many important details of the past and terms that needed identification, there were also a few places that the author could have improved the message he was trying to send by exploring some of the unheard of aspects of his story.
In the beginning of the book, Niane gives his reasoning for writing in a brief preface followed by some key terms that are important throughout the book. The story of Sundiata begins with the king of Old mali, Maghan Kon Fatta, being told by a soothsaying hunter that he must marry a hunchback woman for their son would be the savior of their country. After the king married the woman, however, the son they had, Sundiata, turned out to be a cripple, not being able to walk on his legs until after his father had already passed away and his mother was riddled with grief. Following his achievements of standing, Sundiata and his family were exiled to a neighboring country where they grew in strength and plotted the revenge for their people. At the end of the story, Sundiata defeats the terrible king of Mali that had taken his place and reclaimed his throne to see out the liberation of his people.
Some strengths of Niane’s book include his remarkable application of a glossary and background information in the beginning. This section is immensely helpful to those who may be reading this story with no previous knowledge of the subject. While introducing the background, Niane helps to set up a more grand story while also providing a sense of imagery and understanding with the specific geography and ideals of the area. With the glossary, readers can easily look for words they may not have understood before reading this and not be wildly confused when they appeared in the text. Along with this addition, Niane also includes a notes section in the back of the book that shows some important factors he identified throughout the book. This section was good thinking because, while the glossary and background section may describe some aspects of the story, certain people and events in the book needed further explanation and this prevented confusion in the text.
Looking at the weaknesses in Niane’s book there are some to speculate about. Some examples are the immediate biases of Niane, taking this oral tradition right out of old Mali heritage and writing the story without changing any of the information based on outside sources. In the preface, Niane states that he owes the book’s validity to a griot from Africa that told him the story that makes up this book. However, what Niane dismisses in writing the book is the western ideals in that there are no other points of view about the story. Another weakness presented in the actual story of Sundiata was the lack of information about the character’s rival, Soumaoro Kanté. While there was some information mentioned in the book’s notes section about Soumaoro Kanté, Niane left massive gaps about the reasons this sorcerer king was evil, creating a very biased outlook for the end of the story.
In Niane’s version of the epic of Sundiata his strengths were clearly portrayed through his willingness to help his readers explain the history of the story, but often procured weaknesses when he left out many key explanations in the story that could have helped to bridge the gap in his biases. Overall, however this book was a fascinating piece of African tradition that was amazing in the way that it could influence its audience and take a simple event and make a great story. Niane’s work was a wonderful recitation of an oral tradition that made the history of a single individual very intriguing to read about and learn from.

[Breanna Willson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali is a book written by D.T. Niane and G.D. Pickett translated it. Sundiata was first published in 1986 as Longman Africa Classic and then again in 1994 as Longman African Writers, and then revised in 2006. Sundiata origin is from an oral tradition, meaning it passed down orally from generation to generation. Do to human error, like anything else, this book cannot be taken as word for word accuracy. Although, that does not cause this Epic to be useless. On the contrary, Sundiata allows the reader to see the culture, beliefs, government systems, and values of the people of old Mali.
Originally told by a griot named Djekli Mamoudou, Sundiata is an extraordinary epic that tells about a hero prophesied by soothsayers, born from the king of Mali and an ugly hunchbacked woman. Sundiata tells about this hero’s beginning and into his childhood and adulthood. Sundiata goes through trials and tribulations, from being deemed as worthless and exiled, to being revered and loved as a savior. Sundiata is an epic that shows the struggle for power against the corrupt and the just, as well as the unexpected rise of a lame child to a mighty warrior.
Sundiata is an epic that allows the reader to glimpse into the culture of Old Mali. Sundiata shows the beliefs of an ancient people who valued the strong and just over the strong and ruthless. Sundiata shows the belief in magic, witches, sorcerers, and jinn. All this allows the reader to see aspects of a culture that is not their own. Seeing how another civilization thrived and how a culture formed is valuable to the understanding of Old Mali.
Sundiata is of oral origin so there can be separate versions of the epic of Sundiata. Although, Sundiata does show the culture, beliefs, and values of the people of Old Mali it also may be portrayed in a way it was not intended to be. Keeping in mind that Sundiata is an Epic that was originated from oral tradition it is important to know that the original story was spoken and not written. Begin spoken allows the one listening to hear the emotion behind the words of the story.
This is lost when this oral tradition is turned into an epic and written down.
Even though Sundiata may not be fully credible, it is still an incredible book that could be used for learning and teaching. Sundiata can show the reader a culture that is unfamiliar, as well as values held by an ancient people. Sundiata does show the idea of becoming something extraordinary when your beginning is less than ordinary. This is an important aspect to most cultures. In my opinion, Sundiata is a book worth reading and certainly worth investing time into understanding. This book will allow you to see a culture that may be different than your own and allow you to see a civilization that is separate from your own.

[Reis Forsgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Griots of Mali dedicated their lives to memorise valued stories and traditions and became their culture’s historians. These people are the keepers of knowledge, and all they have learned is passed theron, verbally in the form of tales and account histories that would otherwise be forgotten. In this fashion, the story of Sundiata is passed to us after being carefully recorded and translated for present study.
This text is a historical documentation of a verbal tradition. It begins with the prophesied birth of the next great leader of Mali; Sundiata. Most see no future at his birth, being born crippled, and he is ridiculed most of his young life for being so. When he stands against the odds after being humiliated, Sundiata and his family are exiled and he travels, growing and learning from people and mentors, surprising most people with his compassion and ability. As he is called to action, Sundiata gathers an army from his travels and moves to defeat the evil sorcerer and claim the Kingdom of Mali.
This epic is severely underrated in historical literature, as most African histories tend to be pushed to the side, but much can be learned from this oral tradition. Not only does it mirror a few other stories that have arisen around the world, but it is told in a gripping way, emphasising the importance of historical tales and traditions.
Sundiata is an important oral tradition for the eyes of historians, as it shows vital ideas that emerged in this African culture and gives historians a look into a culture and civilization that is not often talked about. The emphasis on the story-teller at the beginning, and being mentioned throughout the tale, emphasise how important tradition- and history-keeping was to this culture; Not just history, but their history. They were peoples that cared about the past and their triumphs, and with the detail that these Griots memorised them shows this clearly.
Set in the golden age of Mali, this tale is an exploration of African culture; A doorway to a civilization that the world doesn’t often speak of. This is not a lost civilization, these ideas are clear and their traditions are kept through storytelling, an age old practice for all societies, on some level. Sundiata explains the superstitions and beliefs of this civilization as well as its triumphs through the becoming and rule of this hero: Sundiata.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Splendor of Sundiata

The tale of Sundiata is an ancient story about a glorious African king with humble beginnings. Even though it is part fact and part fiction and based on events that occurred thousands of years ago, the story of Sundiata’s legacy is still popular today and has even been compared to the Iliad and the Odyssey. Full of rich, traditional folklore, witty lessons and proverbs, and an epic conquest to save the kingdom of Mali from the grasp of a tyrannical king, the epic of Sundiata is sure to be an insightful read.
Sundiata was one of the sons of King Nare Maghan, who was the king of Mali thousands of years ago. One day, a soothsayer ventured to King Nare Maghan’s court and proclaimed that Sundiata was destined to become a prodigious ruler of Mali and the seventh great conquer of the world. However, Sundiata was born a crippled child lacking the use of his legs. When King Nare Maghan died, his first son, Dankaran Touman stole the throne from the fated Sundiata. However, one fateful day, Sundiata gained the use of his legs and proved his might to Dankaran by uprooting a mighty baobab tree. Sundiata thus inspires readers by overcoming adversity and beginning his journey towards kinghood.
When Sundiata finally became a man of age, he assembled an army to retake the kingdom of Mali, which was conquered by Soumaoro, the evil sorcerer king of Sosso. Sundiata earned the respect of many kings and soldiers in his early conquests and eventually amassed an army powerful enough to rival the sorcerer king. Sundiata achieved great glory in battle, always fought on the front lines with his men, and campaigned zealously for justice. After many battles, Sundiata finally defeated Soumaoro and invaded his capital city, reclaiming the kingdom of Mali. When his kingdom was established, Sundiata delivered justice where it was deserved, developed a flourishing economy in his kingdom, helped the poor, fought for the weak, and hunted thieves and evil-doers without mercy. As the griots (storytellers/bards) of Africa say, “During the reign of Sundiata the world knew happiness” (Niane 82). Overall, Sundiata is sure to be an enriching book for all who read it.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sundiata is the national myth of Mali, much as Arthur is the subject of the Matter of Britain, Charlemagne the Matter of France and King Gesar the Tibetan myth. One of the fascinating things about these myths are how similar they are.

Sundiata’s birth this a consequence of sorcery and transformation much like King Arthur and Gesar’s. His mother is the ugly woman found in many fairy and folk tales - though in this case she is not evil and doesn’t become beautiful.

Like Gesar, Sundiata spends his youth being a figure of ridicule, because Sundiata can’t walk. Then the time comes and Sundiata gets up, rips a tree from its roots and delivers it to his mother. Also like Gesar (and sort of Arthur) he is exiled, where he wanders and learns the skills needed to rule.

As he returns, he gathers allies and fights off the evil wizard King of the Soso and gains his land. He then has a gathering where he divides his rights and responsibilities, founds a capital and rules in wisdom. Unlike Gesar and Arthur, this version doesn’t have a downfall - he is more like Gilgamesh, another King of legend, who learns how to rule well.

While there are elements of magic, I was surprised how grounded Sundiata is to some of these other myths. Although he does have personal strength and powerful allies, the battle scenes do not focus on metaphor or splendour but have a historical feel to them. They describe terrain, units and strategy so you know exactly how Sundiata uses his resources to gain victory.

One of the big differences, however, was the role of the Griot - although like a bard, is keeper of all records - and does not give out information gladly but jealously guards it. I found that interesting, closer to the original Celtic ideas of bardic tradition and less like todays storytellers.

What Sundiata taught me, is that nations and national myths show us more of our similarities then our differences and I could get caught up with the tale of an ancient Malinka Mansa just as much as I could a modern, European hero.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading and teaching this book. Honestly, I was never excited about this text; but as I began to read the story line captured me. I'm glad that I chose to assign this to my African history class. Though there are certain features of the text that are fantastical, the griot Kouyate sought to tell a true story. Digging through the text a clear story of emerges: the making of a Western Sudanese empire and emperor through much difficulty, but guided by Divine Providence (Destiny, as it is labeled in the text).

There are rich details of Western Sudanese culture: the presence of Islam, but the resilience of localized religious practices, hunting and trading, political organization, and the primacy of the spoken word and the preservation of history through the spoken word.

This is nice little epic novel to teach the first half of African history with.

Just completed my second reading. I noticed something subtle this time: women helped Sundiata to become emperor. His mother and his sister. Though subtle, Kouyaté teaches us the significance of women in African empire-building.

[John Dishwasher John Dishwasher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story from the age of heroes, Sundiata is a distinctly African tale which reminded me of the epics of Medieval Europe. In a mood of noble grandness the tale describes a young hero working through his destiny. Throughout is the voice of the ‘griot,’ a figure who serves as a sort of wiseman-poet-historian-spokesperson-keeper-of-secrets. He stays at Sundiata’s side, documenting his passage through various adventures. Palace intrigues take place, and black magic. Heroic feats of war are present. And even an evil sorcerer king who demonstrates a wizardry matching Merlin’s. We see merit overcome scheming and envy in this story as Sundiata delivers the world from oppression and humiliation, bringing to it happiness and plenty. And this is not a spoiler! For we are told at the outset that all humanity will praise Sundiata, that he will save the world. This books is an absolute delight for anyone who enjoys a well-paced heroic tale with elements of the supernatural. Wassa, Wassa, Aye!

[Anetq · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a classic epic tale - like a greek tragedy with prophesies of those destined to great things - as well as a lot of knowledge of the kingdoms of Old Mali and it's surroundings, all delivered down the years from one living history teller to the next generations.
And as a curiosity I have to mention that Sundiata and Soumaoro deklare war by sending each other talking owls (Harry Potter go home!)

It is foretold, that the king of Mali must sacrifice and a woman with a hunchback (who is not entirely human) will give him a son, who will be the greatest king. And so it happens. But the jealous first wife makes sure her son becomes king, and Sundiata and his mother and sisters become refugees. But the weak king bows to the sorcerer king Soumaoro - and Sundiata must return, be reunited with his griot, defeat the evil sorcerer and unite Old Mali...

[Ezra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a 13th century west African conquerer/emperor. It is a written version of a spoken performance from 1968 by a Malian griot (a traditional African oral storyteller). The story has been handed down for hundreds of years.

Sundiata was one of many princes of a small African kingdom. He was a silent child who did not begin walking until he was about seven years old. After the king's death, Sundiata and his mother left the kingdom out of fear of the king's jealous first wife. Sundiata and his mother traveled around to various royal courts in west Africa until he grew up. Then he returned home to retake his kingdom from a powerful sorcerer.

There are a lot of interesting cultural aspects to this book. It is also interesting to see the similarities it has with other ancient stories and histories like the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Iliad.

[Amy]

Read it for school, but I have to say that I wish to have a griot in my own home.
We forget or lose touch on our humanity. We forget where we began and what significance our name, our selves, our history has. We saw the film after having read the book and looking at these people you who culture should be important.... but the mother is so modern she has someone else to clean her home. Modernity has taken the place of tradition, of values, of what has been passed by our ancestors. It is kind of sad how we are so wrapped up in the future we can't look at the past, even for a second. Not just the world's past but more important: ours. If you don't know the footprints your ancestors left you can't take that next step into being you.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third re-read for the World Lit I course I am teaching.

Sundiata might have been the basis for the Lion King (or Hamlet, though there are plenty of reasons why I give source material credit for that story to the Danes and such - but there is a possibility). Unlike the European stories which focus on the son far more than the mother, the Mali epic does a large attempt of backstory for Solgon, who is not one of those wonderous beautiful creatures.

The story is a good quick read, and this version keeps the oral tone of the tale. If you haven't read this, you really should. If everyone in the world knows about Beowulf, they should also know about this.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali is a written version of what appears to be a very popular tale told by the griots or traditional story-tellers of Mali. Based on the life of the 13th century ruler Sundiata, this one is a fascinating blend of fact and fiction, of history pepped up with all the things that appeal to people looking for entertainment. So Sundiata, after having spent the first seven years of his life crawling about on all fours, one day orders a huge iron rod for himself and uses that to stand up—and there’s no stopping him thereafter. There are sorcerers and djinn, buffalo-women and enchanted owls and snakes. There are feats of valour, episodes of generosity, loyalty and friendship.

This version of the story of Sundiata is fun and entertaining, though the last one-third or so does tend to become a wee bit tedious, what with all the battles and skirmishes. Why it intrigued me more was because of the background of the book itself. The fact that this is originally a part of an oral tradition was intriguing, because this story reminded me of another much-loved story that’s also a popular tale in another tradition of storytelling: The Tale of Amir Hamza (Daastaan-e-Amir Hamza), so popular among the traditional dastangos and kissagos of the Indian subcontinent. Both Amir Hamza and Sundiata were historical figures who were probably somewhat larger than life to start with, and so proved suitable material to be enlarged even further, in the words of griots and dastangos.

While Sundiata, at about a tenth of the length, is immensely shorter than The Dastaan-e-Amir Hamza, both share similarities: a hero who’s royal, who has faithful friend(s) accompanying him, and who must vanquish evil enemies (who are supported by dark magic) with the use of his own unbelievable strength, valour, and some support by good magic. Sundiata, unlike Amir Hamza, has no love interests and no fairies falling all over him, and a good bit of his story sounds at least based on reality: it’s not quite as fantastic as that of Amir Hamza.

Worth a read. It certainly prompted me to go and search for a griot performance. And it acquainted me with Sundiata, whom I hadn’t even heard of before this, though griot tradition seems to put him consistently in the same league as Alexander of Macedonia (I hadn’t even realized Alexander was regarded with so much awe and esteem in Mali).

[Jean Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This text, based on the account offered to the author by the Griot Djeli Mamoudou Kouyaté, is not only an ode to Maghan Sundiata, it is an ode to the Griot - to the oral tradition that "rescues the memories of kings from oblivion" (41). The Griot is memory made coherent and flesh - he remembers that "life hangs by nothing but a very fine thread, but [that] all is interwoven here below. Life has a cause, and death as well" (24).

In keeping Sundiata's memory alive, the warrior king who united Mali - eternal Mali - and defeated Soumaoro, we remember his words to his comrades: "...rather death than slavery. We will live free because our ancestors lived free. I am going to avenge the indignity that Mali has undergone" (56). With this, the Griot reminds us that to resist slavery is a pre-colonial and, therefore, ontological condition (the essential nature of being) for the African.

The Griot shows us how colonialism disrupts the coherent universe. How forced integration into global markets as chattels reorganizes the family, gender, and property, which are reconfigured not as relations mediated by religious or cultural order. Instead, they become relations of domination. Land, for example, administered by the colonizer dislocates not only the Malinke (in Mali's context) from their land, but disrupts Faro's authority (Faro being the creator in Bambara religion whose representatives on earth, in the absence of private property ownership, administer land use) as the source of social, political, and economic order.

The Griot reminds us to be like Sundiata, to avenge our indignities—rather death than slavery.

[Mackenzie Clevenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 - this was a fun epic to read since it diverges from the traditional tropes of a Greek or Roman epic, with a different setting and religious system. There were parts of Sundiata’s story that were humorous and others that were genuinely chilling, and I enjoyed the narrative style. The reason I’m not rating it any higher is because I feel like Sundiata didn’t have a lot of conflict against him as a character. With every battle, he won and succeeded in scaring Soumaoro into fleeing the scene. Besides the beginning, there was never a moment where he seemed to lose or do something he didn’t wish to, so that made him as a character a bit less interesting to read than other epic heroes, in my opinion. That being said, the story was still enjoyable and definitely a worthwhile quick read.

[Hannah of the Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part history, part legend, woven together. The story of the founding of the kingdom of Mali. A 13th century tale passed down for generations and now in print. This may not be a "fun" read and it will be strange and foreign but that is because it is a different culture than our own and preserves carefully the style of the original, which was an oral telling before it was written. It reads almost like something from Genesis, with its genealogies, origin stories, and supernatural events. The introduction is highly informative and perspective shaping about the nature of and value of oral tradition.