Transcript Ama Ata Aidoo

Ama Ata Aidoo
And story telling/Griots
Biography
• Ama Ata Aidoo (1942) is a respected Ghanian
playwright, short-story writer, novelist, and poet whose
works explore the far-reaching effects of sexism and
colonialism. Aidoo's "greatest strength," according to
Jill Franks in Contemporary Novelists, "is her ability to mix
humor and hope with the serious issues of gender and
social conflict." As the daughter of a chief, Aidoo was
raised as royalty and given an extensive education; she
has worked as an educator in the United States as well
as in her native Ghana, where she served for a time as
Minister of Education.
Style
• She is lauded for her innovative attempts to blend
African oral with Western literary traditions. Indeed, in
the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Aidoo is quoted as
stating, "I pride myself on the fact that my stories are
written to be heard, primarily.“
– Conventions of oral tradition
• Full of devices to aid memory, in particular repetition.
• Filled with formulaic expressions.
• The successful storyteller or epic singer gives his story credibility by
the use of realistic details.
• Direct address of audience.
In the tradition of the Griot
• In West African culture, both historically and today,
each tribal clan has had its griot, an itinerant clan
member who is combination historian-musicianstoryteller: "A Griot is an oral historian and musician,"
explains Foday Musa Suso, one of West Africa 's most
respected and well-known contemporary griots. "Griots
were trusted court advisors to the kings of West Africa
from the twelfth century to the twentieth. Every king
wanted a Griot to recite the history of the kingdom,
and to pass it down from father to son. History wasn't
written down – everything was memorized and recited
or sung."
Griot Cont.
• The griot memorized the clan's significant events such as births,
deaths, marriages, hunts, and wars, ensuring the continuity of the
collective heritage and culture. "If you want to buy some cloth,
go to the weaver. If you want a hoe, ax or knife, then go to the
blacksmith. But if you want to know the history of the people,
you must go to the griots." Often accompanied by the kora (a
harp-like stringed instrument), drumming and/or the
handclapping of the villagers, a griot might speak for hours, even
days, drawing upon a practiced and memorized history, passed
from griot to griot for generations. It is said that, "when a griot
dies, a library has burned to the ground."
Griot Cont.
• Interestingly, the griot was not an objective
observer and recorder of the events in his
community. In his impressive study of the griot
oral tradition, Griots and Griottes: Masters of Words
and Music, historian Thomas A. Hale provides an
extensive "job description" for the griot:
historian, genealogist, advisor, spokesperson,
diplomat, mediator, interpreter/translator,
musician/composer, teacher, exhorter, warrior,
witness, and praise-singer.
Griot Cont.
• With such an extensive skill set, it is no wonder that
griots "became so valued that they were not allowed to
leave the chief's side, especially during discussions,
trials, and deliberations, in order to support his
criticisms and to approve his decisions." Clearly, states
Hale, the griot's role extends much further than the
simple recitation of events. He or she must provide "a
reading of the past for audiences in the present, an
interpretation that reflects a complex blend of both
past and present values."
Griot Cont.
• Hale "suggests that griots constitute in many ways a group that
serves collectively as the social glue in society. By their efforts to
inspire people, mediate conflicts, and facilitate important life
ceremonies, they seem to operate as secular guides to human
behavior and as social arbiters. At events related to birth,
initiation, marriage, family, history, sports, music, and
government, griots and griottes are there to witness the occasion,
to enliven it, to facilitate it, and to convey what happened to
others. No other profession in any other part of the world is
charged with such wide-ranging and intimate involvement in the
lives of the people."
Some Pictures and Recordings
• http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/la
vender/griotimages.html
• http://www.clarencewebpage.com/africanarts/alassane/
• My slide
Griot Pieces
city/country division
• Okara – PPT
• Neto -- PPT