INTRODUCTION

Western people have written many articles about West African culture but I decided it would be a good idea to write about the culture from my own point of view, as a jali myself.

This article will explain the culture, tradition and structure of Mandingo griots in The Gambia. It will tell where they came from, the reason behind their migration, their first settlement in The Gambia and their mode of settlement.

The historical background also looks at the duties of Mandingo griots in the context of the Senegambia society. Griots emerged as a separate group that had its own internal structure. This self-organisation of the griots shows the inter-relationship between them and their organisational structures.

A DEFINITION OF GRIOTS

Griots (or Jalis in Mandinka) are oral historians who can trace their origins and status from the first griot, Nyankuma Duga Kuyateh. They are called nyamakala, or in Mandinka nyamalo, and are the people belonging to the griot sect in the Mandinka community. They are born into certain professions and a son would be expected to follow in his father’s footsteps. Me, myself, I learnt to play the kora first of all from my Daddy and he learnt from his Dad. It is a hereditary role. Jalis are equipped with entertaining instruments for performing and anyone who cannot trace their lineage from Nyankuma Duga Kuyateh and does not fulfil their griot role by performing is not a true griot. Essentially griots are libraries to the Mandingo tribe.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND ORIGINS OF THE MANDINGO GRIOTS

Certainly everyone has a root and tracing this root is extremely important. It is generally believed that the Mandingos came from the ancient great Mali Empire from a town called Manding. The leaders of the Empire were from the Manding region that engulfed the whole area of the east (Teliboh). Nearly all the rulers of the Mali Empire had the desire to expand the boundaries of the Empire to bring a vast area under their hegemony. This was particularly manifest during the era of Sundiata Keita, for he had the military might to execute such a function. Among his generals was Tiramakalig Traore. Tiramakalig expanded the boundaries of the great Mali Empire up to the Senegambia region. As he was progressing, he had griots with him to praise him and his soldiers to inspire them to fight and win battles.

The Mali Empire extended up to Sine and Salom in the bolongs of The Gambia in the Upper River Division and that was where the Mandingo griots had their first settlement. Tiramakalig himself died in the Wuli district after his final settlement in the region. Even today the people living in these areas speak exactly the same as the original Mandingos of Manding. The people who came from the Mali Empire resettled and intermarried in the region. They stayed there for quite a long time before moving to the coast (Kombos).

Nowadays Mandingos and their griots are seen in every part of The Gambia, but particularly in Brikama, Mandinba, Lamin and Banjulinding in the Western Division. There were several reasons for this exodus to the western areas. The griots living in the Wuli Tumona, Fullady and Kantora areas came to know about the Western Division as a favourable area to live in and that motivated many of them to migrate there. They were also attracted by the favourable climatic conditions of the Western Division. The Upper River Division is very warm compared to Western Division, which is close to the coast and much cooler.

There was also a chance for rich people to be their batufaas (people who they depended on completely to support them, and who did not just book them for festive occasions). Batufaas (patrons) to the griots were not unusual. Griots depended on these batufaas for many reasons. They had to follow these important people to obtain benefits from them. As the saying goes, "A griot without a butafaa is meaningless". It did not mean that anyone who gave something to a griot was a butafaa. The butafaa were very special to griots and often interfered even with the structural organisation of the griots. Sometimes griots even lived with them.

Some griots moved to the Western Division to look for markets for the products they had made, such as a kora or a balafon. Nowadays some griots earn their living making and selling musical instruments. Sales are very limited in the interior as there are not many clients there but buyers are more numerous around the coast. People come from Senegal, Mali and Guinea Conakry to buy items to take back to their own countries. Also during the tourist season, many tourists become interested in these artistic Gambia makings and they buy them in bulk from the griots. This lucrative profession around the coast was another reason the griots were attracted to settle in Western Division.

I make my own koras. It is a difficult job. First of all it takes two weeks' work, but not in the rainy season. In the dry season you can make koras for yourself because of the sun. It needs a large calabash (a type of gourd), and the volume of the kora will depend on the size of the calabash. You also need mahogany wood and the skin of a cow. Three different thickness of nylon fishing line are used for the strings but before our great-grandfathers used to use cow skins, cut into thin strips and twisted. The sound was different and quieter. Plaited loops of cow skin are used to attach the strings to the mahogany pole and they are pushed up and down the pole to tune the strings. Drawing pins are used to attach the skin to the calabash. All the koras I make can be played professionally. Many people make koras now, mainly to sell to tourists and they will have a smaller number of strings, but if you want a 21-string kora you can play professionally you have to go to a griot family. My father was recognised as the best kora maker in The Gambia.

THE SURNAMES OF THE MANDINGO GRIOTS

The common Mandinka griot surnames are Kuyateh, Konteh, Kanuteh, Jabarteh, Suso and Saho. There is a relationship between the different surnames in the griot society. Kuyatehs are described as superior to the others. People ask how it is possible for Kuyateh to demand alms (money) from them and not vice versa? This is essentially because the Kuyateh are termed the first griots. Based on that they enjoy special privileges that others may not have but this does not necessarily mean that they are superior. The griot gave them the title Mansa Jali to honour their status as the first griots in the history of the Mandingos. It is extremely difficult to have superiority in the noble society of Mandingo griots.

ROLE OF MANDINGO GRIOTS

This is a very important area when dealing with the history of Mandingo griots. Griots right back from their very origins (Manding) have been performing duties that are important and prominent in our society. These duties were being and are still being performed in naming ceremonies, weddings, and political and cultural meetings. They sometimes are also interpreters and perform other concomitant functions.

Griots entertain people during weddings and naming ceremonies. At these ceremonies they are seen with their instrument such as kora, balafon and kontingo, playing and singing to amuse their audience. It is a convention in the Mandinka society that, prior to weddings and naming ceremonies, the griots are assigned to inform the general public about the event. This is essential to make everyone prepared for it. While the griots are playing and praising their bafufas at occasions the bafufas give out money, clothes, jewellery, silver, gold etc. to them as a way of pleasing them.

Not only at these occasions but also at political meetings, griots are called upon with their instruments to perform before the start of the programmes. This is clearly manifested even nowadays when the President is going on a “meet the people“ tour or to a political meeting, then griots are called upon to perform. Village or town meetings are also often preceded by a display of griots.

As praise singers they help kings to win battles since they have the word power to make people do things beyond their abilities. However brave a leader might be, he can only be known to people through griots. It is the griiots who reveal who someone is, what he did, what he is capable of doing and what are his plans for the future. Griots also settle disputes amongst people who are living together as all human beings are liable to have problems.

Mandingo griots are known to entertain people around them, and the instruments they possess assist them a lot in executing this function. Among these instruments are the kora, the balafon, the kontingo, the tama, the mdolh and neos (an iron nail used to tap a rhythm on the calabash of the kora, and the only instrument used by female jalis). They use these instruments collectively to provide an entertaining ground in which amused audiences give money as a way of thanking them.

Among the instruments mentioned, the kora, balafon and kontingo can be used individually to entertain people but the rest have to be joined with the key instruments of kora , balafon and kontingo when playing.

TUNES AND SONGS OF THE GRIOTS

Tunes are still being composed by some jalibas in our present generation out of their imagination, but initially griots composed tunes to relate to an ongoing situation, either to praise an event or a particular group of people. People were able to learn of the existence of certain activities because griots were talking and singing about them, and these tunes are still being played today. These traditional tunes include Tiramang; Chedoh; Lambang and Simbong.

I mostly write my songs in the Mandinka language. I write about how things are changing between the generations; about my friends who have been good people and about things that have affected my life. I wrote about a good friend who died very young. I had been away playing and when I returned I found he had died. I took my kora to his compound and played the song for his family.

STRUCTURE OF THE MANDINGO GRIOTS

It is very difficult for any society to continue its existence without having able leadership to keep the society functioning. In the griot society there were able elders who were so energetic in mind and physical abilities they were able to keep us going. These leaders were executing these duties since the era of Sumangru Kanteh (before Sundiata Keita) when Nyankumang Duga Kuyateh, the first griot, was doing that and it was passed to succeeding generations up to now. Among such leaders in The Gambia was my own father, Jali Alhagie Bai Konteh (Brikama); Amadou Bansang Jobarteh (Kembujuh); Jali Bakary Saho (Bannie Kantora) and Jali Nyanma Suso (Bakau) a Gambian griot professional based and laid to rest in Mali.

The situation today is that some members of the griot family tend to neglect this noble culture of theirs. Some are seen to be concentrating on western education, which is a great mistake. This can easily lead to the fading away or the disappearance of the griot culture in the future generations to come. Some non-griots also like to train and become experts in the various instruments used by the griots but still that is on a decreasing rate. I like to remain traditional and play with traditional scales and tuning and preserve the songs that my forefathers have sung and to compose new material based on traditional structures. But if at all I have a daughter I will teach her to play the kora, as at present no Gambian women play a musical instrument. Some things I would change.

Jali Sheriffo Konteh