Filmothèque

The Griotte

The griot, or griotte in the case of women like Fady Aldiouma Maiga, plays an important role in society across much of West Africa. They wear many hats: praise-singer, poet, musician, historian, storyteller, peace-maker, political advisor. When the Islamists controlled towns like Timbuktu, they prohibited griots from practicing, which meant important ceremonies marking matrimony, birth and death were deprived of one of their most important participants. Now that the "long-beards" have gone, griots able to liven up parties once more, and deliver messages of peace, much-needed in the wake of recent hostility between Timbuktu's diverse communities: "For without peace, there is no life, no happiness, the country cannot move forward, there can be no development.See the whole Trouble in Timbuktu multimedia series: http://www.irinnews.org/webspecial/mali/index.html#