"A griot who forgets his story loses his ..." - Senegalese Proverb

“A griot who forgets his story loses his people.”

- Senegalesecommunity

Meaning

Preserving collective memory and oral history is essential to community identity.

Cultural Context

Griots are the hereditary storytellers and historians of West African society. Their memory is the archive of the community; to forget is to sever identity.

Origin

Senegalese

Language

Wolof

Related Proverbs

“A village without elderly people is like a well without water.”

Malian

“A river that forgets its source will dry up.”

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