Monthly Gathering—May 2004
Way of the Griot
In Western Africa, the griot (pronounced gree-oh) is the honored name bestowed on wise and knowledgeable storytellers entrusted with the pivotal task of documenting tribal histories and genealogies. They are learned bards, musicians and historians who recount cultural stories through song. Often, a griot will memorize the genealogy of everyone in a village going back centuries. The author Alex Haley, while researching Roots, met with a griot in Gambia that had memorized the history of the village of Juffure to a date two centuries in the past. When he recounted the kidnapping and enslavement of Kunte Kinte, Haley’s great, great, great, great-grandfather, the griot provided the final link to Haley’s African ancestry.
Join us on Saturday, May 15 for a rare opportunity to see a presentation and musical performance by Mady Kouyate (pictured), a Senegalese griot. Its been said that a griot’s performance is witness to the power of story and song and Mady’s role as a griot carries on a tradition going back 7,000 years. This will be a memorable evening—one you won’t want to miss!
Page last updated: Sunday, February 15, 2009