| Abstract: | Presents 'a reasonable statement' about bards in precolonial times in the Mande culture, based on internal evidence from epic poetry (always a tricky business), data collected from oral interviews in 1973 and 1974, and certain assumptions that emanate from the present-day bardic tradition in Mali. The author also pays some attention to the bards' position today. Although adaptation becomes necessary for their economic survival, their social roles appear to have changed more slowly, and modern roles are very similar to those of pre-colonial times. |
AfricaBib 
Book
Leiden University catalogue
WorldCat