This is a Mandinka epic, and the story of "Kelefaa baa," "Kelefa the Great," is an integral part of the griot tradition in the Senegambian region. The version presented here is a transcription of a performance by the griot Sirifo Camara as recorded in Dakar, Senegal in 1987, a performance that lasted about three hours. This book contains the transcription and a translation into English by Sana Camara. You can find out more about the Mandinka language at Wikipedia. Here is a map showing Senegal and Gambia:
The other book that I want to share is another contribution by Harold Courlander (see all of Courlander's books at this blog on a single page): The Heart of the Ngoni: Heroes of the African Kingdom of Segu by Harold Courlander and Ousmane Sako.
This book is a collection of heroic traditions from the Bambara people of West Africa; the Bambara language and Mandinka language are both members of the Mande family. Today, most Bambara people live in Mali, but they also live in Guinea, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, and Gambia. You can find out more at Wikipedia. This map appears in the book (so Burkina Faso is still labeled Upper Volta here):
The "ngoni" of the title of the book is a musical instrument used by the jeli, the singer-historians who preserve the stories of the ancestors (more about the words griot and jeli). This photo shows Bassekou Kouyate, a musician from Mali, performing on a ngoni:
Although books like these cannot convey the performance of the singers, they are a way to learn about these heroic characters and their adventures, and both books await you at the Internet Archive.
translated by Sana Camara
by Harold Courlander and Ousmane Sako
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