El griot no ha muerto, viva el hip-hop

Orature in Africa has played a vital role through millennia as a(n only) medium to preserve and transmit the history, culture and imagery of each community. The griot clearly represents the performer of oral arts, but has experienced severe changes in their way of life and the narrative resources available to them. From the time of the patronage of the ancient great kings to the arrival of Islam, colonialism and, finally, the processes of modernization and westernization, griots have been forced to adapt to new patrons, new audience demands and new mass media, and they have lately become politicians or showbiz stars. The appearance of rap and hip-hop from the US claiming to be the “modern griots” has brought about both critical response and viral attraction to this new phenomenon, whether it be a new genre or a reinvention of the ancient griot’s orature.