Griots at War: Conflict, Conciliation, and Caste in Mande
Hoffman, Barbara G.
In 1985, while she was an apprentice griot, or jelimuso, Barbara G. Hoffman saw and recorded a remarkable event in the small town of Kita, Mali. For four days, thousands of griots from all parts of the Mande world gathered to talk, sing, and make music in celebration of the opening of the new Hall of Griots and the installation of the recently named Head Griot. This unprecedented assembly also marked the end of a deadly two-year conflict fough...