Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples [Paperback]

David C. Conrad (Author), Djanka Tassey Conde (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872206971 | ISBN-13: 978-0872206977 | Publication Date: August 30, 2004

A pillar of the West African oral tradition for centuries, this epic traces the adventures and achievements of the Mande hero, Sunjata, as he liberates his people from Sumaworo Kante, the sorcerer king of Soso, and establishes the great medieval empire of Mali. David Conrad conveys the strong narrative thrust of the Sunjata epic in his presentation of substantial excerpts from his translation of a performance by Djanka Tassey Conde. Readers approaching the epic for the first time will appreciate the translation's highly readable, poetic English as well as Conrad's informative Introduction and notes. Scholars will find the familiar heroes and heroines taking on new dimensions, secondary characters gaining increased prominence, and previously unknown figures emerging from obscurity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an important resource for college teachers who would like their students to read a text which more fully resembles an oral poem and which communicates a richer, more complex, and more compelling version of the Sunjata story... (This) version... is much more worthy to be placed among the great epics of world literature. It is eminently readable for students and instructors who are willing to give it the same kind of attention they give to Homer translations..." -- Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Temple University. "Conrad offers a great deal for students and instructors, with a solid Introduction which provides the context and history of the epic, a note on Mande nomenclature, maps, an epilogue, and a glossary of important names and terms. This is truly one-stop shopping for the Sunjata epic. I think Conrad's book will be a classic..." -- Konrad Tuchscherer, St John's University. "The most easily teachable of the versions I have read... (an) important new version of a major literary achievement..." --Paula Berggren, Baruch College, CUNY.

About the Author

David C Conrad is Professor of History at the State University of New York, Oswego, and President of the Mande Studies Association.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co (August 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872206971
• ISBN-13: 978-0872206977
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > History > Africa > Mali
  • #24 in Books > History > Africa > West Africa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read for Sunjata fans, January 18, 2005

By 

Michele Delattre "Michele Delattre (ORIAS)" (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples (Paperback)

This is a great addition to the English versions available for fans of the "lion king" epic. It is especially fun for readers who are already familiar with the basic outline of the story -- from sources like the children's picture book by David Wisniewesk, Sundiata: Lion King of Mali or the adult reconstruction by D.T. Niane, Sundiata and Epic of Old Mali. Conrad's edition reads well on its own, but much of the fun is in the new background stories for characters surrounding Sunjata -- especially the women.

Conrad provides a "reader-friendly" text specifically targeted to the non-specialist (he says in his introduction that he is working on a more exhaustive, scholarly version as well). It is well-annotated with introductory material, indexed contents, good notes, maps, a helpful character summary and glossary of common Mande terms. The plot has fewer gaps than many other versions and a lot of attention is paid to explaining character motivation. Tassey Condé, the jeli ngara (master bard) recorded by Conrad is the last of a famous family of bards in Fadama, northeastern Guinea. Even in translation, Tassey Condé is a splendid storyteller and Conrad includes the running responses of "naamu-sayers" who encourage and accompany Tassey's performance with short comments. The effect is almost like having a rhythm back-up to drive the performance.

Perhaps because Tassey's family of bards trace their heritage to kingdom of Do, home of Sujata's mother Sogolon Condé, this version of the epic spins out the story of Sogolon and her two sisters - the three great sorceresses of Do. In addition to many details about Sogolon's story, we hear about the politics and magic behind her elder sister's rampage as a buffalo wraith and second sister's role as foster mother to Sunjata's great general Fakoli.

The much-expanded role of Fakoli in this version of the epic is my favorite part of the story. Fakoli is surrounded from birth by the most powerful heroines of the epic. His mother, Kosiya Kante, is the sister of Sunjata's great enemy, the Soso king Sumaworo. His step-mother is Sunjata's aunt, one of the Sogolon's powerful sisters. Fakoli loses his birth mother as a young child when she sacrifices herself to the genie chief so that her brother Sumaworo can acquire a magical instrument and arrows. His step-mother, Teneba Condé, assumes resposibility for Fakoli's upbringing, protecting him with magical medicines and providing for an education as a hunter and sorceror. She takes him on a tour of the same sacred sites where her sister took the exiled Sunjata where Fakoli gathers his magical skills. Thus Fakoli grows up to be a powerful sorceror with ties to both rival Manden and Soso armies before the climactic battle between Sundiata and Sumaworo. Finally he is caught between loyalty to both sides on the eve of the battle. Sunjata agrees with Fakoli that his loyalty belongs to his birth mother's family and he joins the Soso side of the battle. The story of political intrigue, misunderstanding, pride and fall that follows resembles in many ways a Greek tragedy. Finally it is Fakoli who actually kills his uncle Sumaworo in the battle between Soso and the Manden forces under Sunjata.