Work · Mali Empire and Mande world
The Sunjata Epic
events c. 13th century; transmitted orally
Epic narrative of Sunjata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, performed by jeliw in many versions.
The epic recounts Sunjata's difficult childhood, exile, and eventual victory over the sorcerer-king Sumanguru. It exists in many performed variants, several of which have been recorded, transcribed, and translated in the twentieth century — a process that fixes one performance in print and can make it seem like 'the' text.