Epic
Kaabu and Fuladu: Historical Narratives of the Gambian Mandinka
Anonymous · 1976
Synopsis
Mandinka griots of Gambia tell the history of Kaabu, a confederation of provinces dominated by a warrior aristocracy, and of Fuladu, the Fula kingdom that succeeded it. The collection brings together the epic of Janke Waali, last great ruler of Kaabu, who fought the Fula of Futa Jallon, an account of Kaabu, that of Fode Kaba, a Mandinka chief who fought the French and the British, and two versions of the story of Musa Molo, master of Fuladu.
Context
Bakari Sidibé transcribed the narratives, and Gordon Innes, of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, translated and edited them with the Mandinka text facing. It is the second of the three volumes that Innes devoted to the Gambian griots, between Sunjata, in 1974, and Kelefa Saane, in 1978. The fall of Kansala, capital of Kaabu, taken in 1867 by Futa Jallon, forms the historical background of the collection.
Who it is for
Oral narratives in Mandinka with their English translation; a scholar's book, best approached through a single episode.
Prizes and reception
The collection was reviewed by Humphrey Fisher in his school's bulletin and by the Journal of African History.
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