Lifestyle/Culture
Senegal is Preser Oral History in a
Massamba Gueye
Ismaila Fall - An illustration for the podcast The tey (“Know your past, know y
“LET ME TELL YOU the marvelous history of our Senegal. Let me take you on a journey into the great feats of glory,” begins Massamba Gueye in a voice that promises epic tales to come. The famed Senegalese storyteller is accustomed to speaking to crowds of captivated children or packed theater halls. But this time Gueye is alone in a studio, recording a podcast. The podcast Xam sa démb, xam sa tey (“Know your past, know your present”) is the product of a partnership between Senegal’s National 92
July-August 2021
Archives, the Goethe-Institut, and the House of Orality and Heritage, a cultural center founded by Gueye. Through 50 episodes published online in Wolof and French, it aims to make Senegalese history accessible to youth and to preserve the country’s storytelling tradition. Famed storyteller Massamba Gueye works on the podcast. At less than 15 minutes long, each episode tackles a different topic in Senegalese history. “Orality still plays an important role in the DAWN
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