The Griot
The Griot
The griot is one of the most important figures in West African tradition. Originating in the 13th century Mande empire, griots are interdisciplinary storytellers and collective spokespeople for their village. They are also community historians, cultural critics, and indigenous artists. Balla Fasséké is considered the founder of the Kouyaté line of griots that exists to this day. He advised Sundiata Kieta, the founder of the Mali empire.
The griot is one of the most important figures in West African tradition. Originating in the 13th century Mande empire, griots are interdisciplinary storytellers and collective spokespeople for their village. They are also community historians, cultural critics, and indigenous artists. Balla Fasséké is considered the founder of the Kouyaté line of griots that exists to this day. He advised Sundiata Kieta, the founder of the Mali empire.
Today, griots keep Malian history alive through oral storytelling; an ancient art utilized across many West African cultures. They use instruments like the ngoni, the kora, or the balafon to tell these stories. Both men and women can be griots, and their versatility lends them universal admiration.
Kora
Balafon
Griot Dance
The Griot dance like most of the ones learned in class is very grounded. It involves a wide plié where the head is dropped and the torso is bent over. The rhythm of the combination is very fun because of the sudden external rotation of the shoulder that creates an elegant picture. The arms use smooth textures to make lateral movements, but should be sharp when making said picture. Similar to the move, “twelve”, the Griot dance can be deconstructed into a sixteen count movement that makes it fairly easy to learn if you coordinate your shoulders correctly.
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