Andrew Shin: Sundiata

There is something beautiful about the mere simplicity of Sundiata. Throughout the semester, we have read articles and source materials that were always problematic in terms of ethics and morality. However, I am glad that in this story, a picture book, there really is not enough room for this multitude of problems. I will say that Sundiata's mother, Sologon, being delivered to the king as a trophy  annoyed me, but other than this, I  didn't find anything else to be especially problematic in this story.

The first observation I had was the emphasis on the griots and their importance. The griots are a class of oral storytellers, musicians, and poets in parts west Africa that still exist today. I have linked an article that describes the rigorous training processes that they go through as well as an explanation of the deep history they have as a group. I find it incredible that each king had a griot and that this griot was always held in such high regard. A king's legacy is likely the most precious thing to him, so it makes sense that his closest ally would be a recorder of that legacy.

The illustrations in the book are very vivid in color and quite beautiful. The clothing depicted is luxurious and the poses that the protagonists are captured in are quite noble. Because this is a picture book, it is designed to be read by children. We have discussed several times in class that at this young age, everything you are exposed to (Disney) affects your development and world viewpoints in a way. Since this book is one that depicts a minority group that has been assigned any number of negative stereotypes and experienced countless instances in the past (and still continues to), I am glad that the illustrations have chosen to do otherwise. I can see children admiring the characters and pictures while reading this book no matter what the color of their skin is. The illustrations draw a noble picture of Africa, unaffected by Western influence.

One thing I am extremely glad to have seen is that this story has a moral. We have read the Grimm's version of Snow White as well as the source material for Aladdin, and I think we can agree that neither story should act as a model for children. This one however contains the morals that all children should learn to abide by. Sundiata was born crippled and different. However, he was able to make a wonderful friend, find his own strength in his own time, and eventually rise above all challenges to become king. I did not realize how much I had been waiting for a morally correct story until I read through  this picture book. It was certainly a very welcome breath of fresh air.

To conclude, I very much enjoyed Sundiata and definitely saw the connections to Lion King. I approve of the depiction of Africans as a noble and strong people, and believe that these kinds of illustrations should be what influences the future generation. I look forward to our studies on the  Lion King and to approach our analyses with a relatively positive source. I have included an image of a musical performance from the 2012 Griot Summit in New York.