Griot

One of the most powerful Kings of the Kingdom of Mali in the 1200s was Sundiata Keita. He was known for many different things throughout history such as taking back the Kingdom of Mali, where he grew up. He was also known for establishing the city of Niani as the capital of the empire. These are a couple things Sundiata Keita is known for during his tenure as King. When Sundiata was a child, Mali was a very small kingdom at the time. While he was still a child, the Soso people captured Mali and

Rap music has taken its’ shape over the last six decades, starting in the 60s and still modernizing today. Over the last fifty years a new era has developed in American culture. This era is modern rap. Rap has taken over modern culture as a popular form of music for many different age groups. The rap industry has been booming for the past three decades. With what I have said, this leads me to my research question. How has modern rap come to be in American culture? Rap is actually a very old term

Jola Initiation Ritual The phenomenon of folkloric festivals and cultural identity in the contemporary Senegal region of the Casamance provides a unique opportunity to experience and describe customs that have dictated creative and functional experiences for over a thousand years in the western mid enclave of African continent. In seeking to understand this subject we are made aware of the changing textures of time and space and the beauty of physical universe existence, as well as the challenge

Heroism is defined as "the qualities or attributes of a hero or heroine." (Google). Destiny is defined as "something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune. The predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events." (Google). Finally A journey is defined as "an act of traveling from one place to another." (Google). While analyzing these two great epics I came across many similarities between the two main characters. In both epics The Odyssey

off, “Omeros” is a poem written with the idea of the Middle Passage looming overhead, so there is no surprise that it is caked full of cultural norms. One of these cultural norms would be song, “He heard the griot muttering his prophetic song of sorrow that would be the past,” (1-2). A griot, in terms of West African Culture, is either a performer, poet or

There are several western African beliefs of spirits.the 4 religious beliefs are impersonal powers, spirit beings, divinities /god, and the supreme being.the impersonal are also referred as mystical, which can be used for both good and evil.These spirits can affect the human lives in either positive or negative ways. Dominant and pervasive are chateristics of impersonal powers. in African beliefs of spirit beings they cateogorized them by non human spirits and spirits of the dead. African culture

History often times never really comes from the proverbial horse’s mouth, but rather from written testimonies require translation, or verbal traditions passed down through generations. Both forms have their own strengths and weakness’. Oral histories are often influenced by culture, plus religious beliefs affect the way the history is told. Primary sources are often times influenced by the author’s own culture, as well as the motive they have for creating the record of the time. One I not better

1. Mali - Mali is the eighth largest country in the entire West Africa. The economic center of Mali runs on agriculture and also fishing. Mali is the third largest gold producing country in the world, another interesting thing it produces is salt. Mali also produced a federation in the year 1960 after gaining independence Mali had gotten the Mali federation. 2. Chad - Chad is located in central West Africa it borders with Libya and Sudan on either side of it. Chad is a very unique place it is

The relation between Blues and Jazz music can be discovered if we look closely and scrutinize the origins of both the music genres. How one developed can be found out from the roots of the other as both the separate genres use similar sound patterns. Both of these genres belong to a different decade/era however, are closely linked to one another. In this essay I will deliver a brief history of both Blues and Jazz, their similarities, and also discuss how the advancement of technology has affected

Because motherhood was, and is still today, considered very important to being a “good woman” it is often used by women as a source of power and authority. In Sundiata, Sogolon’s motherhood gives her a voice and the power and authority to protect her son until he can return to Mali as King. In a different way, Margery Kempe removed herself from her position as mother and wife and journeyed to become closer with God, though this may seem like something that would cause a woman to lose power, it gave