Lute Town

Lore & Background

Soninke oral traditions, including the epic of Wagadu (the native name for the Ghana Empire). According to griots, the Soninke trace their ancestry to Igo Khassé Dingka, who journeyed from the 'Land of Islam' and conquered the Karos. He negotiated with the seven-headed snake Bida, agreeing to submit the prettiest virgin every 7 years in exchange for gold and rain. In some versions, Dinga arrives from the Middle East and wins a battle of magic against a spirit-woman. His son Djabe Cisse made a deal with Bida: every year Bida would receive a maiden and a horse, and in exchange Bida would rain gold over the land. The epic also recounts the rediscovery of Wagadu: it was lost for 7 years, then for 740 years. An old king named Mama Dinga stated she would return if war drum Tabele was beaten, but it had been tied to the sky by djinns.

Reader's Guide

Soninke proverbs, riddles, and songs, as well as the history of recording Soninke epics by Leo Frobenius and others. For example, Frobenius published African Genesis (1936) containing The Recovery of Wagadu and The Killing of the Bida Dragon. A 1938 The Times review stated that Frobenius's accounts of Gassire's lute and Samba Gana 'can rank among the great folk tales of the world.' However, scholars express doubts about Frobenius's sources, noting he collected his Soninke stories from an informant in Borgu (now northern Benin) and not in the Sahel. Belcher recommends that Frobenius's materials are only of real value when confirmed by independent sources such as modern recordings.

Did You Know?

• The best known Soninke oral tradition in English is Gassire's Lute, although some have questioned its authenticity.
• Moussa Diagana collected and studied circumcision and marriage songs of the Soninke people in Kaédi, publishing them in Chants traditionnels du pays soninké.