The Sunjata Epic: How Mali Remembers Its Founder
The Mali Empire: The Richest Civilization in History — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the Sunjata epic—the oral tradition that preserves the memory of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire. They explore how the epic blends history and legend, the role of griots (jeliw) in its transmission, and key episodes like Sundiata's exile, his rise to power, and the Battle of Kirina. Lucas explains the significance of the epic's poetic structure, the use of Mande language, and how modern historians like Djibril Tamsir Niane have worked to record it. The conversation touches on the contrast between written sources like Ibn Battuta's Rihla and the living oral tradition, and why the epic remains central to Mande identity today. #SunjataEpic #SundiataKeita #MaliEmpire #Griot #Jeli #Mande #OralTradition #BattleOfKirina #DjibrilTamsirNiane #WestAfrica #Sahel #KeitaDynasty #EpicPoetry #FexingoHistory #History #MedievalAfrica #Timbuktu #Niani Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
