Mythology

Gassire's Lute reflects the Soninke heroic period of 500 BC.  Yet the epic, of which this story is a part, comes from a period 1000 years later, (give or take a few centuries) during the growth and height of the Soninke empire of West Ghana . 

Instructions:

As you discuss this story with your classmates you might consider the following questions in developing your posts: 

• What does this story tell us about Soninke culture?  
• What values does it prescribe?  
• What can we learn about how the Soninke view themselves, their history, and cultural development? 
• What exactly is Wagadu?  
• What role does Wagadu play in the lives of this story's characters?  
• Does her disappearance seem to be a penalty for wrongs committed?
• Is there a progression in the disappearances that reflects in the human condition?
• What do Wagadu's children have to do for her to return? 

Will the fifth Wagadu ever exist or will it always be a vision of the future?