Oral Traditions in the Diaspora
Through talking drums and epic poems, to ancient scripts and timeless tales, the art of storytelling speaks to the heart of cultural memory. Oral storytellers are living archives of history and tradition, our stories carved in the memories of those destined to retell the tales. The call and response shares the intertwined relationship between speaker and listener… Living archive of our stories lives in orality.
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Griot
West African traditional storyteller
Epic of Sundiata
An epic poem telling the story of the Mali Empire’s Sundiata Kieta
Ngona Shona
Practice of the Shona people
Imbongi
South African traditional storyteller
Gabay
A form of traditional Somali poetry known for its complex structure and use of alliteration and metaphor. Poets such as Mahamed Ibrahim Warsame ‘Hadraawi’ (1939-2022) carried forward this oral form, contributing to Somalia being known as “the nation of poets”.
Modern-day Griot
Sona Jobarteh & the Kora
Oral Traditions
Passages And Migrations
Spirituals to Seculars to Folk
Rennaisance
Black Arts Movement
Dub Poetry
Rapso
Hip-Hop & Spoken Rhyme
Spoken Word Revolution
Slam
Theatre, Choreopoetry & Spoken Word
Film, Video & Spoken Word
