09 bk revs (ds)

21/4/05

160

2:11 pm

Page 160

Journal of Asian and African Studies 40(1/2)

that it departs from the conventional analysis of human rights. It is not only
innovative, but is also relevant to the political transformation processes in
Africa. For anyone seriously interested in understanding how the forces and
dynamics of cultural transformation impinge on the concept of human rights in
Africa, it is highly imperative to read this book.
Reviewed by:
Abdul Rahman Lamin
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Ralph A. Austen (ed.) (1999) In Search of Sunjat: The Mande Oral Epic as
History, Literature and Performance. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University
Press. pp. 349. ISSN 0253334527 US$49.95 (hbk), ISSN 0253212480 US$18.95
(pbk).
This collection has been put together with great care, with the essays crossreferencing each other when touching on similar points and avoiding repetition.
However, it is difficult to read such essays without calling into question the
whole approach to the Sunjata epic. What strikes the reader is the traditional
format in which they are written a detached, almost scientific tone is adopted,
whereas field notes and research are unemotionally set out.
In spite of this, there are some beautifully written paragraphs. In John
William Johnsons essay, he clarifies the different social forces of fadenya and
badenya, linking them to the potent occult force of nyama:
Violating social norms . . . provides a means for the individual to become a . . .
powerful person. . . . Cosmologically, the act of violating norms is seen to
release . . . vast amounts of occult power. . . . If [the hero] is not strong enough
. . . he may be destroyed by the power he has released. (p. 16)

There is also a lot of fascinating information, for example, Johnson cites

the magical powers of Sunjatas step-mother as being the cause of his paralysis
(p. 19). In Bamba Susos version (Duran and Furniss, 1999: 5), it is Sunjatas
anger that is given as the reason. Through elaboration on the deeper layers of
the epic, the reader can begin to understand a little more of its logic and of the
motives that lie behind many of the more seemingly mysterious events in the
plot.
David C. Conrads sociological approach is more effective in bringing
the epic to life than Seydou Camaras political scepticism, which reduces the
narrative to a simple mechanism for justifying social inequalities (p. 67). Linking
aspects of the epic to the codes of Sahelian culture is vital for those less knowledgeable about those societies. Conrad confounds many ideas that the western
reader takes for granted. For example, he points out that Sugulons ugliness is
actually a sign of her occult powers (p. 198), or that an army stopped fighting

Downloaded from jas.sagepub.com by guest on April 21, 2015

09 bk revs (ds)

21/4/05

2:11 pm

Page 161

Book Reviews

161

when a woman showed them her backside, not because the men were shocked,
but because the power of female genitalia is stronger than any ritual object
(p. 212). Conrad deals with the issue of female power in the epic and in Sahelian
society with a freshness that shows a scholar still inspired by his subject.
James R. McGuires essay is useful in exploring the trickster character
Namori, in Le Boucher de Kouta, noting that this is a standard type in Malian
literature (p. 261, n. 10). For those with an interest in this type, it might be worth
reading Amadou Hampat Bs The Fortunes of Wangrin (1987), which features
a character virtually identical to Namori. McGuires detailed discussion about
Namoris rise to the position of ironic hero also reveals an unsolved problem:
Namori becomes a hero by saving the local populace from starvation by feeding
them ritually unclean donkey meat under the pretence that it is beef. McGuire
does not mention that the Quran states explicitly that if a person is compelled
by starvation to eat unclean food, then there is no blame on him (Surah V iii).
According to Islam, Namori would be performing a perfectly valid act.
Although the epic of Sunjata has possibly been passed down for seven
centuries in a society which is entirely Muslim, it seems that both its esoteric
and Islamic dimensions have been largely overlooked in this volume. Islam is
mentioned now and again, but it does not specifically inform any of the essays.
According to Johnson, Bilal, claimed by the griots to be the ancestor of the
Maninke, was a black slave, purchased by the Prophet (p. 18). According to
other studies, Bilal was owned by a Qurayshi nobleman and was manumitted
by Abu Bakr (Lings, 1983: 79). From an Islamic perspective, it can be seen that
Sunjata engages in dangerously unlawful acts in order to gain power, such as
sacrificing the unborn child of a Muslim holy man (p. 20). How does the epic
negotiate the synchretism of Islamic baraka (blessedness) and occult nyama,
since magic is forbidden in Islam?
Not acknowledging the spiritual aspect of the epic means that Mamadou
Diawara does not see the logic in Malik Sy, who ruled centuries after Sunjata,
being able to meet Sunjata (p. 125) at the Kaaba. But just as Sunjata was a
visionary, might Malik Sy, therefore, not also have been meeting his ancestor in
spirit? It is also a little worrying that Diawara only quotes, in reference to Islam,
from Maxime Rodinson, whose work is full of errors.
Charles S. Birds essay is pleasurable to read, since he really involves
the reader in the experience of epic recitation. He gives a moving account of the
effect that a recitation had upon him: Sometimes, the effect is Zen-like. My
mind empties and I fill with peace and well-being. Arent these weavings of
associations and shifts in planes of consciousness also part of what the epic
means? (p. 281).
Bird structures his essay like a Sunjata epic, with sections of academic
narrative interspersed with apt, brief songs and extracts from the tale, and for
a touch of humour he adds a line of his young daughters poetry. This, it seems
to me, is a breaking of the rigid mold of essay-construction, a piece of writing

Downloaded from jas.sagepub.com by guest on April 21, 2015

09 bk revs (ds)

21/4/05

162

2:11 pm

Page 162

Journal of Asian and African Studies 40(1/2)

that breathes. Could this point the way to a more vital approach to something
which itself is so alive?
REFERENCES
B, Amadou Hampat (1987) The Fortunes of Wangrin, translated from the French by
Aina Pavollini Taylor, with an introduction by Abiola Irele. Ibadan : New Horn Press.
Duran, Lucy and Graham Furniss (eds) (1999) Sunjata, Gambian Versions of the Mande
Epic by Bamba Suso and Banna Kanute, translated and annoted by Gordon Innes and
Bakari Sidibe. London: Penguin.
Lings, Martin (1983) Muhammad, His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Rochester:
Inner Traditions International, Ltd.

Reviewed by:
Aisha R. Masterton
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK
Peter Lawrence and Colin Thirtle (eds) (2001) Africa and Asia in Comparative
Economic Perspective. New York: Palgrave. pp. 313. ISSN 0333790294
US$95.00 (hbk).
Despite its enormous potential, Africa is, without doubt, a continent faced with
innumerable and somewhat intractable development challenges. As African
economies stagnated and even retrogressed in some cases during the last 30
years, Asian countries, especially those in Southeast Asia, recorded phenomenal economic successes. In light of Africas development challenges and at
the dawn of the Asian miracle, there is, and rightfully so, a keen interest in
learning relevant lessons or replicating the Asian miracle in the African continent. Although there is ample discussion on the subject matter, few publications
have hitherto provided as comprehensive coverage as is reflected in the title of
this book.
This edited volume is concerned with the central issue of why Asia has
outperformed sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since 1960. In the editors view,
discussion of the different dimensions of this issue can be found in the essay
contributions, which compare particular aspects of economic behavior on the
two continents, examine potential lessons for Africa, and address the issue of
convergence and divergence. Using a variety of approaches, the majority of the
books 14 chapters address the main focus: to compare African and Asian
economic development in order to draw some lessons.
The editors provide useful summaries right from the onset. Along with
a few other contributors, they argue that there is not one East Asian model.
Instead, there are, in their view, numerous experiences, policies, and outcomes

Downloaded from jas.sagepub.com by guest on April 21, 2015