Authors: David C. Conrad (Translator), Djanka Tassey Conde (Editor), David C. Conrad
ISBN-13: 9780872206977, ISBN-10: 0872206971
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Co.
Date Published: August 2004
Edition: 1st Edition
A pillar of the West African oral tradition for centuries, this epic traces the adventures and achievements of the Mande hero, Sunjata, as he liberates his people from Sumaworo Kanté, the sorcerer king of Soso, and establishes the great medieval empire of Mali.
David Conrad conveys the strong narrative thrust of the Sunjata epic in his presentation of substantial excerpts from his translation of a performance by Djanka Tassey Condé. Readers approaching the epic for the first time will appreciate the translation's highly readable, poetic English as well as Conrad's informative Introduction and notes. Scholars will find the familiar heroes and heroines taking on new dimensions, secondary characters gaining increased prominence, and previously unknown figures emerging from obscurity.
Note on the map of the Mande Heartland (map A) | ||
Map A : the Mande Heartland and related Jamanaw | ||
Map B : West Africa and area of detail according to oral tradition | ||
Episode 1 | Blessings, introductions, and prophets of Islam | 1 |
Episode 2 | Seven kings of Manden | 4 |
Episode 3 | The search for a special wife | 9 |
Episode 4 | Two hunters arrive in Manden | 21 |
Episode 5 | Do Kamissa the buffalo woman | 30 |
Episode 6 | Do Kamissa's revelations | 39 |
Episode 7 | Death of the buffalo | 46 |
Episode 8 | Sogolon Wulen Conde of Do ni Kiri | 52 |
Episode 9 | A new sorceress wife for the Mansa of Konfara | 59 |
Episode 10 | The childhood of Ma'an Sunjata | 74 |
Episode 11 | Step-brother rivalry and nine sorceresses of Manden | 78 |
Episode 12 | Mistaken murder and the question of exile | 82 |
Episode 13 | Departure for exile | 89 |
Episode 14 | A visit to Soso | 91 |
Episode 15 | The birth of Fakoli | 95 |
Episode 16 | How Tenenba acquired Fakoli : Sumaworo's quest for the Soso Bala | 97 |
Episode 17 | The sacrifice of Kosiya Kante | 107 |
Episode 18 | Tenenba and Fakoli visit the sacred sites | 112 |
Episode 19 | Sumaworo's tyranny over Manden | 118 |
Episode 20 | The expedition to find Sunjata and return him to Manden | 123 |
Episode 21 | Kolonkan finds meat for guests from Manden | 127 |
Episode 22 | Manden Bori's anger and Kolonkan's curse | 129 |
Episode 23 | Sogolon bestows the legacy of Maghan Konfara | 131 |
Episode 24 | The burial of Sogolon and departure from Nema | 140 |
Episode 25 | The return of Sunjata | 146 |
Episode 26 | Conde pride and descent from Adama | 149 |
Episode 27 | Fakoli reveals his power | 153 |
Episode 28 | Fakoli explains his dilemma and takes his leave from Manden | 156 |
Episode 29 | Fakoli finds trouble in Soso | 158 |
Episode 30 | A visit to Kamanjan in Sibi | 169 |
Episode 31 | A strategic alliance : Kolonkan's marriage | 173 |
Episode 32 | The battle of Negeboriya | 175 |
Episode 33 | Trading insults and swearing oaths | 177 |
Episode 34 | The battle of Dakajalan and Fakoli's revenge | 183 |
Episode 35 | The campaign against Jolofin Mansa | 187 |