Islam and the Oral History of Mali

This study reveals that Islam and pre-Islamic culture in Mali have coalesced into a seamless synthesis over 1290 years, defying simplistic distinctions between the two. By analyzing medieval Arabic sources alongside oral histories of mysterious disappearances and leadership genealogies, the research demonstrates how Muslim narratives—such as those involving Songhai Askia Muhammad—integrate Dogon traditions, including prophecies and animist practices, into broader Islamic frameworks. The village of Semari, historically off-limits to Muslims, exemplifies this syncretism, with its ties to Kangaba (linked to the Manden) legitimized through Islamic references like 'Manden Kaaba.' The findings underscore Mali's cultural identity as inherently dual: equally rooted in pre-Islamic and Muslim traditions without clear separation.

Kutsenkov, P. (2025). Islam and the Oral History of Mali. Vostok. Afro-Aziatskie Obshchestva: Istoriia I Sovremennost, (3), 171. https://doi.org/10.31696/s086919080033383-8