All Formats & Editions

This is a revision of Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali, a best seller for 30 years.

Retold by griots, the guardians of African Culture, this oral tradition has been handed down from the thirteenth century and captures all the mystery and majesty of medieval African kingship... Read Full Overview

" . . . a major addition to the literature on oral traditions." --Journal of Religion in Africa

This 750-year-old epic celebrates the exploits of the legendary founder of the Empire of Old Mali. It constitutes a virtual social, political, and cultural charter and embodies... Read Full Overview

A traditional oral tale of Mali tells the story of Sundiata, the prince who united the twelve kingdoms of Mali into a powerful empire.

The epic of Son-Jara (also known as Sunjata or Sundiata) celebrates the exploits of the legendary founder of the Empire of Old Mali and is still widely recited among Mandekan-speaking peoples of West Africa today. As performed by griots, or professional bards, it embodies... Read Full Overview

..". a major addition to the literature on oral traditions." -- Journal of Religion in Africa This 750-year-old epic celebrates the exploits of the legendary founder of the Empire of Old Mali. It constitutes a virtual social, political, and cultural charter and embodies deep-rooted... Read Full Overview

..". a major addition to the literature on oral traditions." -- Journal of Religion in Africa This 750-year-old epic celebrates the exploits of the legendary founder of the Empire of Old Mali. It constitutes a virtual social, political, and cultural charter and embodies deep-rooted... Read Full Overview

The Sundiata Keith or Epic of Sundiata (likewise alluded to as the Sundiata Epic or Sunjata Epic) is an epic sonnet of the Manlike individuals that recounts the narrative of the legend Sundiata Keita (passed on 1255), the originator of the Mali Empire. The epic is an occurrence... Read Full Overview