Kansala, Guinea-Bissau – For centuries, the history of the West African kingdom of Kaabu has been passed down through oral tradition. This kingdom, which existed from the mid-1500s to the 1800s, once encompassed Guinea-Bissau and extended into what are now Senegal and Gambia. The story of Kaabu was often told by griots, the West African oral historians who sang about the kingdom’s rulers.
But now, thanks to a recent archaeological dig in Kansala, the capital of Kaabu, the history of this powerful kingdom is being brought to life in a whole new way. Nino Galissa, a direct descendent of the griots who sang for the last emperor of Kaabu, has collaborated with archaeologists to create a song that incorporates both oral history and archaeological findings. This song, along with a report of the dig, is being shared with the world, shedding new light on the rich history of Kaabu.
Sirio Canos-Donnay from the Spanish National Research Council, one of the lead institutions of the dig, explains the significance of this collaboration. “He’s combined all of the ways and methods and phrases that are the trade of the griot with the archaeological information and, hence, using that we’ll be able to transmit what we’ve done to the local population in a much more effective manner.”
In Kansala, griots have long been the keepers of history, passing down lessons from one generation to the next through their songs. Accompanied by the kora, a string instrument that resembles both a harp and a guitar, they have preserved the history of Kaabu for centuries.
Antonio Queba Banjai, a descendant of the last emperors of Kaabu, recalls listening to the griots sing about his ancestors when he was a young boy. “Griots are not just important, they are the puzzle you cannot miss in African history. To know what we know now is because of griots. I am from the tree of the last emperor of Kaabu. We were educated by the music of kora. The storytellers tell us where we come from.”
Banjai is also the president of Guinea-Lanta, an NGO that worked closely with the archaeologists on this project. When the team began their work, they knew they wanted to incorporate griots and oral history into their findings. Canos-Donnay hopes that this approach will show the academic world that things can be done differently and more inclusively.
“We should pay and need to pay respect to local ways of producing and consuming history. And the collaboration and the knowledge that can come from that dialogue from these two disciplines is something that is quite extraordinary.”
The project not only highlights the importance of oral history in West African culture, but also verifies many events that griots have been singing about for generations. One such event was the explosive ending of the kingdom of Kaabu.
“Kansala had a fairly spectacular end in the 1860s, when the town was sieged by an enemy kingdom, and the local king realized he was going to lose the battle,” Canos-Donnay explains. “The legend is he set fire to the gunpowder house and blew the whole site up. So, this particular point of the site is where the elders said it happened. And one of the fun things is we proved that’s where it properly did.”
The archaeological dig also revealed evidence of extensive trade between Kaabu and Europeans, with artifacts such as Venetian beads and Dutch gin being discovered. Joao Paulo Pinto, the former director of Guinea-Bissau’s National Institute of Study and Research, believes that West African ways of recording history should be given the same respect as European techniques.
“In our system, when you talk about the ritual of passage – everything has a process, everything has a code of conduct. All our oral history systems have a commitment to the truth. I have a commitment to the truth as I speak, just the same as a book has a commitment to the truth.”
Banjai hopes that this project will bring attention to the neglected histories and kingdoms of West Africa, which are often not given enough importance in schools. He believes that by incorporating oral history into archaeological research, a more complete and accurate picture of the past can be painted.
The collaboration between archae
