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 Periodical article |
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| Title: | Islam and the Griots in West Africa: Bridging the Gap between Two Traditions |
| Author: | Hale, Thomas A. |
| Year: | 1985 |
| Periodical: | Africana Journal |
| Volume: | 13 |
| Issue: | 1-4 |
| Pages: | 84-90 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | West Africa |
| Subjects: | Islamic history griots epics (form) Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Religion and Witchcraft History and Exploration Education and Oral Traditions literature |
| Abstract: | The gulf that seems to separate the Islamic world with its written tradition from the indigenous oral cultures of West Africa is much narrower than often thought. In fact, the written and the oral tradition have operated at times in an almost symbiotic relationship. For example, a reading of the chronicles, such as the 'Tarikh al-Fettash', reveals how important the oral tradition was for providing the authors with a variety of information. Conversely, the professional oral artists, the griots, came to accept Islam, they referred to Islam in their poems and epics, and served as an integral element of both the traditional world and the Islamic diaspora. The author looks at the roles in society of both the Moslem scribes and the griots, and the relations between them. - Notes. |