5.0 out of 5 stars
A CELEBRATION OF AFRICAN ORATURE, February 2, 2012
This review is from: Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Revised Edition) (Longman African Writers) (Paperback)
Djibril Tamsir Niane's Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali(revised version, 2006) is an excellent example of novelistic palimpsest. This novel is a parody of the Epic of Sundiata.It is a reproduction of the epic tale of the semi-legendary emperor of the Mande who lived in the thirteenth century. There is no single definitive version or "text" of the Sundiata epic story. Various versions of the Sundiata have been told, and continue to be told, sung and performed by various African griots. The Mande who revere Sundiata as a great cultural hero continue to celebrate his memory in various epic performances of his story. Niane's version of the Sundiata epic is derived from an oral tale recounted by the griot Djeli Mamoudou Kouyaté of the village of Djeliba Koro in present-day Guinea, not far from the capital of the old Malian Empire. Niane acknowledges him in the preface to his novel in the following terms: "This book is primarily the work of an obscure griot from the village of Djeliba Koro in the circumscription of Siguiri in Guinea. I owe him everything"(xxiii).It is essential to take cognizance of the many layers of translation and transcription that have been at work to produce the written translations of the oral text. Niane attributes to the griot credit not only for the oral material he used, but also for the form and style of his novel, claiming for himself only the modest role of translator: ama, de Djeliba Koro et de Keyla et plus particulièrement à Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, du village de Djeliba Koro (Siguiri):"This book is, then, the fruit of an initial contact with the most authentic traditionalists of Mali. I am nothing more than a translator; I owe everything to the masters of Djeli Koro and Keyla and more particularly to Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté of the village of Djeliba Koro(Siguiri) in Guinea" (xxiv).
By transcribing and translating Kouyaté's oral version of the Sundiata epic into French, Niane participates in the tradition of re-writing the history of his people--the Mande. Like most African novelists who attempt to incorporate oral tales into texts through the device of griotization, Niane translates not just the content of Kouyaté's message but also the style in which he renders imagery, rhythmical phrasing and incantatory repetitions:"I am a griot. It is I, Djeli Mamoudou Kouyaté, son of Bintou Kouyaté and of Djeli Kedian Kouyaté, master in the art of eloquence....The art of eloquence has no secrets for us; without us the names of kings would vanish into oblivion, we are the memory of mankind; by the spoken word we bring to life the deeds and exploits of kings for younger generations"(1). Niane makes a conscious effort to translate the imprints of the griot's style of storytelling into the written word. In his remarks on Niane's novel, Pageard notes:" Ce petit livre fera date dans l'histoire de la littérature africaine car il constitue l'une des premières réussites certaines de transposition fidèle quoique érudite, d'une légende orale dans l'art écrit d'inspiration européenne"(51)[This little book is an achievement that will stand out in the history of African literature given that it constitutes one of the first successful attempts at the faithful, though erudite transposition of an oral legend into writing inspired by European traditions.]
Niane reproduces the imaginative fertility of the griot in writing. Besides, he appropriates elements from the folktale, and interprets them as literary material for the writing of this novel. In a word, he reshapes an African oral tale into something traditionally Western, the novelistic genre. He keeps intact the epic tone of the narrative, including the traditional supernatural elements. His novel is designated in the subtitle as a national epic, "an epic of Mali". The narrator tells the story of Sogolon, the Buffalo-Woman, given to the Magnan Kon Fatta, the father of Sundjata, by the hunters who captured her but are unable to possess her. He also tells of the birth of the ugly, mute apparently retarded child, and his sudden miraculous awakening at the age of seven or eight, when he rises to his feet for the first time, bends the huge iron bar into a bow and uproots the baobab tree which he plants before his mother's hut; then he wanders in exile, until he vanquishes the sorcerer King Soumaoro with his secret weapon, returns to the capital, Niani and establishes a powerful empire. This is the crux of Niane's novel.
This text fulfills not a historical but also a didactic function. The epic hero represents the positive qualities of the Mande culture and people. Sundiata is a hero in the true sense of the word. Courageous and valiant, respectful of traditional mores, he firmly overcomes all the obstacles put in his way and triumphs over his adversary Soumaoro. For Niane, historical fiction should be made to teach the younger generations because history is not just a chronological order or a retelling of great events but a poetic awakening to the people who feature in these events. The creative translation process that enables Niane to re-write the Mande history in the form of an indigenized Europhone novel is to be understood in its most orthodox sense as the linguistic operation that consists in transposing meaning, worldview and imagination from one language to another. As Zabus points out, "This differs from the unorthodox sense of...an operation which allows for the presence within one linguistic system of several tongues, an operation of thought through which we must translate ourselves into the thought of the other language..." (188). Creative polytonality is a unique quality of Niane's epic literary work. Lovers of African orature would find this book a delight to read. It's been a best seller for three decades!
Dr. Vakunta is professor at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey-California, USA
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book on pre-colonial Africa!, January 19, 2012
This review is from: Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Revised Edition) (Longman African Writers) (Paperback)
This book is a MUST-READ if you're interested in the WAY Pre-colonial Africa functioned! It's an excellent example of African History being passed down thru Oral Traditions (with the aid of courtiers called "Griots"), especially West African History. It's a GREAT book on the history of the Mali Empire, and the various kings that ruled. Its preface explains how Europeans have looked down upon Africa's Oral history for a long time, but that view is thankfully starting to change. It's also a small book (in size) and would not take long to finish. I LOVED it!!!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Five stars for the original edition, October 30, 2011
This review is from: Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Revised Edition) (Longman African Writers) (Paperback)
For reviews of this book, look at the (8 out of 8) five-star reviews of the earlier edition.
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali , Longman African Writers SeriesThe publisher says that this edition (the revised edition) "includes background information which provides a geographical, religious, social, and political context for the story".
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