Old Woman, The Buffalo & The Lion

About the Event

A great leader, born from extraordinary circumstances. A story told for hundreds of years. A story of courage, faith and strength. A story of Mali. A story told through words and music.

Can the words of a passing hunter foretell the future of the kingdom of Mali? Should the king go against reason and hold true to prophecy?

A conflicted king, a jealous first wife, a disfigured buffalo woman and a child with a destiny. Their lives intertwine to bring us a story of courage and shame, faith and kindness, unexpected generosity and above all strength.

The Birth of Sundiata Keita, visionary leader of the great Malian empire, is told across West Africa as a story of kingship and battle. Discover the rarely heard story of his mother, her grandmother and the extraordinary circumstances of this legendary leader’s birth.

This inspiring tale reaches across the centuries, from its origins in thirteenth-century Africa to the recent conflicts of our own time when its telling was forbidden.

Created and performed by

Jan Blake, storyteller

Kouame Sereba, musician

Raymond Sereba, musician

An Adverse Camber and The Akua Storytelling Project production in association with mac birmingham, supported by the Albany. Originally commissioned by Festival at the Edge Storytelling Festival.

adversecamber.org/?page_id=96
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