Keita Voice of the Griot by Dani Kouyat - Essay Example

Module The Keita! L’Heritage Du Griot: A Review The world is made up of different people, cultures and traditions. Each of thesehas its adherents and many harbor strong relations with what they consider as their traditions. Not only are these people strongly attached to these cultures but they also seek to protect them from any erosion as a result of the many settlers that are seeking to occupy their territory and trying to assimilate them into their culture. Instead, they choose to stay in secluded areas where they can easily resist the new culture and maintain their rituals without any interference. Governments have noted the importance of these territories and have even sought to protect them in their natural setting rather than move them to different areas where they may lose what they have sought to protect over the decades (Merlan 105). Others have already been assimilated into the western culture or the American way of life and have lost their identity as members of their original community. As such, they seek to spread the spirit of cosmopolitanism everywhere. This may be seen in the way the Europeans assimilated African societies and later the Africans chose to adopt almost everything that is western (Baaz and Palmberg 29). Others have imitated the western culture to some extent but retained their traditions when it comes to certain rituals that favor traditional points of view. The current globalization has made it difficult for many cultures to maintain their traditions and this has strained many relations. Those who live in rural areas are seen to be the greatest adherents of traditions and customs in many societies. However, the migration that has led many to leave the rural areas to the urban areas in search of greener pastures has come with its constraints (Howard 80). Many have abandoned their cultures and even forgotten about their traditional roots. They have been assimilated into other cultures that have come as a result of the different people that inhabit many of these urban centers. The media has also played a considerable role in eroding many beliefs that people held years ago in the name of civilization (Merlan 105). However, there are others who are termed as the indigenous people. These are groups of people who are said to have stuck to their traditional roots and continue to practice their cultures based on their historical ties that are said to have existed before colonization. These people maintain their cultures despite the big divide between theirs and the mainstream culture as well as political systems (WGIP 2). They have maintained their distinct social, economic and political systems that have remained relevant to them despite the civilization that has taken place around them. Many governments have tried to assimilate them into the mainstream societies but have met huge oppositions, and this has led to mistrust amongst the two groups (Clifford 93). For instance, the Aborigines of Australia have managed to get the backing of the Australian government after years of mistrust and arguments over their territorial boundaries. The Maori of New Zealand have also got the backing of the government and have even contributed in some nation building through their cultural activities (WGIP 3). Therefore, these indigenous persons are not a threat but an excellent way of maintaining national unity and peace. Governments need to understand the indigenous people, and should allow them to conserve the natural resources since they understand the importance of sustainable environmental practices. However, the problem that arises is the system that the government can utilize as a way of identifying these individuals. Defining the term may be quite challenging since different schools of thought bear different definitions (WGIP 3). However, experts in anthropology advise that it would be better to identify rather than define these people. If people would come forward and identify themselves with these communities and the communities accept the member as their own, it would be easier for all the involved parties. By identifying them as such, the government can get into talks with their leaders as they have a system of leadership and work on their interdependence and how they may be of help to each other (Clifford 96). This will help in coexistence of all the involved communities without making the other feel unwanted or discriminated. Further, understanding their cultural system and belief system would greatly help in providing them with what they require while respecting their autonomy (Coates 76). Though many may view being termed or identified as an indigene would bring about negative connotations, being ready to fight for their rights will earn them the respect they deserve and the kind of protection they desire. Before the government can go around encouraging people to be proud of their culture and traditions, it is imperative to understand what these groups stand for and whether they can be included in all critical policies of the country. Many have been neglected and thus the benefits that they should enjoy have been curtailed by those who view them as uncivilized (Coate 78). Many feel discriminated, isolated and minoritized in comparison to other communities. However, I believe that they still have a considerable advantage that many do not possess in the modern world; that of identity. They can comfortably identify their origin compared to the rest of the civilized society which only remembers their grandparents and go blank about their distant past (Merlan 107). The latter have been fed with the formal education history and can only recall what they have been taught as they will be tested on it. The indigenes are proud of their history and tell it over and over again until the children are aware of from where certain names, languages, rituals and customs emanated (Howard 83). The Keita! L’Heritage du Griot translated as Keita! Voice of the Griot in English is a film that elaborates this notion further. The past cannot be ignored. Many may be given books to read about their history, but it is essential to have one who can narrate it to the children as a way of helping them keep in touch with their traditions. Djeliba Kouyate and Mabo Keita play a huge role in the film as they try to expound on the issue of ancestors, names and the past as a way of relating it to the present for the young Mabo to get acquainted with his past and the ancestors (California newsreel). Djeliba creates a vivid recollection of the past in a way that allows the young Mabo to visualize his past and animate his vision of his ancestors. When Mabo is reading about his ancestors, it seems to be just but stories. However, Djeliba’s stories fascinate him and even lead him to become truant so as to hear the rest of it (Gugler 39). Mabo is taught that people exist as a result of chance and the survival of the fittest. However, according to his ancestors’ traditions, everyone has a purpose and a particular destiny that they must fulfill before they leave this world (California newsreel). His ancestors from the Wagadu community are taken to be the indigenous people who still stick to their tradition while those in the city have been fed with Eurocentric teachings of the westernized education system. The film’s producer seeks to present the main character, Djeliba, as quite a conservative man who does not approve of the western world and who views traditions as the source of livelihood for the present and future generations (Gugler 40). His words are translated and are mainly reminiscent of the traditional proverbs that were used as a way training children and the community as a whole in appropriately understanding their culture. For instance, in asking Mabo to be patient, he tells him that “… you can’t run and scratch your foot at the same time…” (Agatuci). He is named as Djeliba which is translated to great griot or story teller in Wagadu. He always speaks in his native language of Jula compared to the language that Mabo and his parent are accustomed to, which is French. Keita, Mabo’s other name, is considered to have emanated from the great clan of Konate which bore one of the greatest and the legendary West African trader who created the great Malian trading empire (California newsreel). He is unaware of his history and seems surprised that Djelibe knew his ancestors. From what he was reading, the ancestors were quite archaic and uncivilized and are even likened to the apes. However, from what he comes to learn from Djeliba, he has a great history that is linked to the great trading empire despite the initial unpromising beginnings that Sundjata, the founder of the trading empire and Mabo’s ancestor, had (Agatuci). As it is learnt later from the film, the Kouyates have always been the griots of the Keitas and that Djeliba is right to come and initiate the young Mabo into their customary laws. Though Mrs. Keita, Mabo’s mother, is not welcoming of this idea, Boicar, Mabo’s father, is quite okay with it and this keeps Mabo on course for the rest of the story. The names are part of the film’s way of attaining the cultural significance that it seeks to instill in the audience. Many believe that the present is all that there is. However, as Djeliba confirms, even the teacher’s name has an origin. Everyone has a past that few care to deliberate upon. The names that people bear have a cultural significance that each needs to understand to get acquainted with their past. They must completely focus on what identifies them with their different cultures and how they can claim this identity in the long run. As witnessed, though natives, all the other cast members stick to French as their mode of communication while Djeliba still insists on talking his native African language. This is what identifies the indigenous people from the assimilated people who choose foreign cultures as opposed to their native languages and traditions (Charry 42). They have also neglected their traditional foods and turned to western foods which Djeliba detests. They have left the village and forgotten customs such as prayers which they grew up embracing while still young. They have chosen to embrace the haste that characterizes the western world, and this is experienced when Mabo’s father yells at the car ahead of him when caught up in a traffic jam. This is contrasted with the way Djeliba uses politeness even when the situation calls for one to act in a harsh manner (Agatuci). Djeliba’s words are translated more compared to those of Mabo and are translated into English as a way of portraying the intended meaning of the proverbs or the words that are found to possess considerable wisdom in their native meaning. Though many would have found it easier to have the film use French from the beginning to the end, the producer seeks to present the two cultures and how different they are by including the native Jula language. This has juxtaposed the two cultures and portrayed the differences that many would overlook and which keep haunting them with time (Agatuci). Many may view it as a norm for good producers to do this. However, it is crucial to understand the film’s plot and what the producer wishes to achieve by the end of every view. The audience may not be aware of the traditions or cultures of the Wagadu people. However, through this film, they are able to understand how they view the world around them and how they have managed to remain relevant despite the civilization, politicking and the assimilations that take place around them (California newsreel). CONCLUSION The film provides an excellent viewpoint regarding how the indigenous people are viewed by the civilized society and how they assert their presence by the mastery of their culture and traditions. No matter how much people claim to be civilized, the past is always necessary. Everyone needs to know their ancestors and how they attained what they presently claim to own. Works Cited Agatuci, Cora. Keita: The Heritage of the Griot Film Notes. August 19, 2004. Web. August 23, 2012. Baaz, M. E. and Palmberg, M. Same and Other: Negotiating African Identity in Cultural Production, Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute, 2001. Print. California newsreel. Keita: The Heritage of the Griot. N.d. web. August 23, 2012 Charry, Eric S. Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology. Includes audio CD. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Print. Clifford, James. "Varieties of Indigenous Experience: Diasporas, Homelands, Sovereignties". In Marisol de la Cadena & Orin Starn. Indigenous Experience today. Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers, 2007. Print. Coates, Ken S. A Global History of Indigenous Peoples: Struggle and Survival. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004. Print. Gugler, Josef. African Film: Re-Imagining a Continent, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2003. Print. Howard, Bradley Reed. Indigenous Peoples and the State: The Struggle for Native Rights. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press, 2003. Print. Merlan, Francesca. "Indigeneity as Relational Identity: The Construction of Australian Land Rights". In Marisol de la Cadena & Orin Starn. Indigenous Experience Today. Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers, 2007. Print. WGIP. Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations System. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Office at Geneva, 2001. Print Read More