Griots were an important part of the culture and social life of the village. The main job of the griot was to entertain the villagers with stories. They would tell mythical stories of the gods and spirits of the region. They would also tell stories of kings and famous heroes from past battles.
What is a griot in African culture?
A griot is a West African storyteller, singer, musician, and oral historian. They train to excel as orators, lyricists and musicians. The griot keeps records of all the births, deaths, marriages through the generations of the village or family.
Why would a griot be important before writing was adopted in West Africa?
They can teach and entertain other people from different cultures. … It would be important because a griots main job is to tell the oral traditions to people but if they can’t remember exactly the story could change or even not be passed down.
Why do you think griots were so valued in West African society?
The griots were important to West African society because they were the ones that had the good memory. Also they were important because they were the ones who told the stories to the other people. They were also important because they were the people who told the stories about the hajj.
What is the role of the griots in Africa today and why should you be generous to them?
Since the 13th century, when Griots originated from the West African Mande empire of Mali, they remain today as storytellers, musicians, praise singers and oral historians of their communities. Theirs is a service based on preserving the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people.
Why was music and storytelling important in African societies?
Storytelling in Africa has been manifested in many ways and was used to serve many purposes. It was used to interpret the universe, resolve natural and physical phenomena, teach morals, maintain cultural values, pass on methods of survival, and to praise God.
What was the role of dance and music in ancient African culture?
Music and dancing is an integral part of many traditional African societies. Songs and dances facilitate teaching and promoting social values, celebrating special events and major life milestones, performing oral history and other recitations, and spiritual experiences.
What role does oral tradition play in African culture?
Oral Traditions make it possible for a society to pass knowledge across genera- tions without writing. They help people make sense of the world and are used to teach children and adults about important aspects of their culture. There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling.
Why has oral tradition been so important in West Africa?
Oral tradition is important in west Africa because modern writers add to the oral legacy some have turned oral traditions to novels. … What functions did music serve in west Africa? Music communicated ideas and values also expressed feelings and celebrated important evens such as weddings,funerals and ceramonies.
What are three different environments found in Africa?
Africa has five main kinds of ecosystems: coastal environments, deserts and semideserts, mountain environments, savanna grasslands, and forests.
Why do you think Salt was so important in West Africa?
Salt, which could be used to preserve food, also made bland food tasty. These qualities made salt very valuable. In fact, Africans sometimes cut up slabs of salt and used the pieces as money. As trade in gold and salt increased, Ghana’s rulers gained power.
Which religion had the largest impact on West Africa?
Islam has a large presence in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Sahel, the Swahili Coast, and much of West Africa, with minority immigrant populations in South Africa.
What actions did Mansa Musa take to make Mali more powerful and wealthy?
Mansa Musa inherited a kingdom that was already wealthy, but his work in expanding trade made Mali the wealthiest kingdom in Africa. His riches came from mining significant salt and gold deposits in the Mali kingdom. Elephant ivory was another major source of wealth.
What were three traditional instruments that griots used?
Musical instruments used by griots
In addition to being singers and social commentators, griots are often skilled instrumentalists. Their instruments include the kora, the khalam (or xalam), the goje (or n’ko in the Mandinka language), the balafon, the junjung, and the ngoni.
What does griot mean?
: any of a class of musician-entertainers of western Africa whose performances include tribal histories and genealogies broadly : storyteller.
Who is a famous griot?
Before we get to our interview, let me tell you the story about how I got to meet Alhaji Papa Susso, a world-famous griot, or West African storyteller.