griots played the role of a societal leader in west african society.
griots played the role of a societal leader in west african society.
what role did griots play in west african society?
a societal leader
jilani became an artist-in residence for the laundromat project on may 6, 2015. during his residency, he realized the project "griots in the stuy" the project consisted of photographs of residents who live in and around tompkins avenue. he has set out to collect, share and then archive the personal stories of bed-stuy–a parallel narrative around gentrification–using tompkins avenue as the spine and its residents as “griots.” a griot is a west african word for a historian or storyteller. griots are a repository of oral tradition and are often seen as a societal leader due to his or her traditional position as an adviser to royal personages. this worked well within the laundromat project's own mission, as they strive to have artists be understood and recognized as an asset in every community. everyday people need to know the power of their own creative power to transform their lives, strengthen their relationships, and improve their surroundings.
rasu jilani
the relationship between griots and nobles may appear to be a difficult one to understand. as seen through the relationship described between sunjata and bala faaseega kuyate, the noble and griot relationship is sometimes represented as a partnership. dr. barbara g. hoffman, an associate professor of anthropology at cleveland state university, discusses in her book "griots at war: conflict, conciliation, and caste in mande" the relationship between griots and nobles. she writes that “tension is often expressed through nobles’ criticism of griots’ “empty speech” or griots’ disdain for nobles lack of self-knowledge”. while griots take pride in understanding themselves and life around them, nobles are often more focused on worldly aspects. despite the relationship that is suggested in "sunjata", the relationship between nobles and griots can be seen as extremely different from that of loyalty and partnership. hoffman views the relationship between griots and nobles as showing a sharp distinction between castes. hoffman writes, “this [the caste system] was a central issue for the griots and nobles present at this kita celebration. they generated social difference and the reinforcement of social boundaries through a repertoire of strategies for recreating old social structures as well as for creating new ones”. in modern mali, griots are often seen as being a part of a lower caste then nobles despite the help and history they provide to nobles and society. in hoffman's work addresses the position of oral historians in castes "mande-style". hoffman writes, "living up to one's caste ideals is a source of pride in mande; violating them a cause for disgrace." the position of griots in the mande caste system was that of extremely lower stature then the nobles griots and oral historians have a tendency to work for. oral historians molded their way into the caste system and although they are of a lower caste then nobles, they are extremely influential in mali. in "status and identity in west africa: nyamakalaw of mande", david c. conrad also discusses the relationship between nobles and griots, writing: "another revealing aspect of the relationship between nobles and griots is the asymmetry of their mutual accountability. for example, nobles almost never blame individual griots for the general character of the group". conrad then goes on to describe how griots "openly criticize nobles in public as well as in private". although griots are seen as being inferior to nobles, griots have no issue criticizing the faults of the family they work for. such a willingness to criticize emphasizes the fact that griots do have in mali despite their position in the caste system. also included in conrad's book is cherif keita's essay "jaliya in the modern world: a tribute to banzumana sissoko and massa makan diabate", in which cherif keita presents a "tribute to contemporary bards". keita praises the griots and claims that griots "have contributed positively to toward the building of a modern nation-state". contrary to beliefs that griots were seen as a part of a lower class, keita presents an "aristocratic view of contemporary griots". keita's perspective on griots provides a different outlook on the position of griots in modern mali. although griots are looked at as being a part of a low caste, griots have added to cultural and historical modern mali society.
oral history in modern mali