Sundiata

A theme I’d like to focus on in Sundiata is prophecy. The people of Mali are shown to be huge believers of prophecies, becoming aware that whatever route is paved for them cannot be changed and is a part of the grand scheme in life. When Sundiata’s father, King Maghan, heard a prophecy that he must marry an ugly woman in order to have the greatest Mali King in history, lo and behold he was eventually presented a woman brought by a group of hunters. King Maghan was shown to be a man who highly respected prophecy, even until his death. However, something I found interesting and rather ironic, is how the tables turn once an undesirable prophecy is given. A very big example of this is King Maghan’s first wife, Sassouma. With her son being older, she deemed it unfair for her son not to be the next in line to be King, leading to her disapproval of Sundiata’s prophecy. It’s an interesting concept to me, how one could not believe in something set in stone when it doesn’t benefit them in any way. Had it been told that her son would be King, I’m sure she would have 100% believed it- but because it wasn’t her son, she disapproved of the concept entirely. Thinking about it, this could be related to current day. People tend to only think of the good when it applies to them; but when it is meant to happen to another person, they choose not to show support and brush it off entirely. There’s jealously and bitterness in that type of act- and it just baffles me to see that even old texts could portray emotions and actions that many people still have today.