Mande Music and the Black Experience: Oral History, Folklore and Contemporary Connections

(3 Credits)

How do stories, songs, and proverbs preserve cultural identity, communal values, and historical memory? In West African societies, griots (jalis) are oral historians and custodians of tradition. What responsibilities do they hold in preserving and transmitting Mande heritage, and how are these roles reflected across African diasporic cultures today? How have inherited skills enabled communities to resist oppression and cultural erasure? And what role do cultural institutions play in preserving, reshaping, or sometimes limiting cultural traditions? Students will explore Mande music and its place in the Black experience, examining the connections between cultural inheritance, memory, resistance, identity, and belonging. Guided by the bandleader of the acclaimed Balimaya Project and a team of musicians and dancers, students will experience Mande oral history, folklore, and contemporary performance through music, singing and dance workshops, live performances, and visits to cultural communities and institutions across the UAE. Students will discover how Mande traditions continue to evolve, resonate, and shape cultural identities around the world.