11 - Song Lyrics as Pathways to Historical Interpretation in Northwestern Côte d’IvoireThe Case of Kabasarana

Summary

This chapter examines the use of song lyrics as a supplement to oral traditions often used in the reconstruction of African history. The oral traditions and song lyrics that the author collected among the Malinke peoples in several districts of northwestern Côte d'Ivoire in the 1980s and 1990s shed light on relations between masters and subordinate classes in Kabasarana from its formation, circa 1848 to the liberation of captives during the first decade of the twentieth century. The lyrics were rich with revelations about the negotiated terrain of power and authority between rulers and the vanquished. Passed along from generation to generation, the lyrics provided a pathway to understanding the Malinke worldview of social stratification, power, and subordination. The songs of Kabasarana reveal aspects of the tensions between the freeborn, the enslaved, and the caste members of society.