The Guardian of the Word by Camara Laye
"The Guardian of the Word" by Camara Laye is a novel that explores the legendary life of Sundiata, a thirteenth-century leader in Africa. The narrative is based on oral traditions conveyed by Babu Conde, a griot, who serves as the story's voice and custodian of history. This work captures the essence of African storytelling, interweaving the historical and the mythical as it recounts Sundiata's journey from a physically challenged youth to a heroic figure who unites various kingdoms against the tyrant Sumaoro. The epic structure reflects traditional African narrative styles, emphasizing themes of destiny, valor, and the triumph of good over evil, while the characters are depicted in broad strokes typical of oral tradition rather than detailed psychological analysis. Characters like Sundiata’s mother, Sogolon, and the antagonistic Fatumata Berete are portrayed with human dimensions, contributing to the story's emotional depth. Through this novel, Laye seeks to celebrate and preserve traditional African culture and values, offering insights into the continent's rich oral heritage and its significance in contemporary society.
The Guardian of the Word by Camara Laye
First published:Le Maitre de la parole, 1978 (English translation, 1984)
Type of work: Adventure romance
Time of work: The thirteenth century
Locale: Ancient West Africa
Principal Characters:
Sundiata , the great ruler and warrior who brought order to his part of West AfricaMaghan Kon Fatta , Sundiata’s father and a powerful kingSogolon Conde , Sundiata’s motherFatumata Berete , Sogolon Conde’s rival wife, who plots against her and SundiataSumaoro , a tyrant who sets out to conquer the other kingdoms
The Novel
The Guardian of the Word relates the events surrounding the rise and reign of Sundiata, a thirteenth century Africa leader. The story was told to Camara Laye by a noted griot, a traditional storyteller in Guinea, in West Africa. Literally “the guardian of the word,” the griot has long played an important role for his people by keeping alive their political and social history. This oral tradition, handed down from generation to generation, survived the colonial period and, since independence, has been revived by Africans seeking to understand their past more fully. Laye’s novel is one such effort; during 1963, he recorded the words of a modern griot named Babu Conde, then transcribed them into a purely African work. The voice of Babu Conde speaks throughout the tale; thus the narrative style belongs to him, not to Laye’s inventiveness.
After framing the central story with genealogy and a history of earlier rulers, the griot tells of the miracles and adventures that made Sundiata’s life legendary. He begins by revealing how Sundiata’s mother, Sogolon, ugly and hunchbacked, marries Maghan Kon Fatta. To this aging ruler and his mysterious second wife Sundiata is born, during a violent storm, but, in spite of the prophecies heralding his birth, Sundiata appears at first to be a disappointment. Unable to walk until he reaches the age of ten, the boy only then begins to fulfill his destined promise.
Not long thereafter, with his father dead and his father’s first wife jealous, Sundiata and his mother, along with her younger children, go into exile; various rulers give them shelter. By the time that Sundiata has reached eighteen years of age and proved himself to be an able warrior, he hears of the evil exploits of the tyrant Sumaoro and of the cruelties that his armies are inflicting on innocent people. To right these wrongs, Sundiata raises an army of his own, and other kings join him with theirs to destroy Sumaoro. After learning Sumaoro’s secret, that he can be killed with a white rooster’s spur, Sundiata chases this perpetrator of destruction into a cave. There Sumaoro dies, ending his reign of terror.
Triumphant, Sundiata then unites the various kingdoms and assigns authority to those who fought with him, creating a great empire where “carefree mothers gave birth to happy children, and desolation, the sign of Sumaoro’s passage through the savanna, gave place to prosperity which burst forth everywhere.”
The narrative first covers events that lead up to Sundiata’s triumph and introduces a number of characters who serve to fulfill the prophecies surrounding him. Then, its structure entirely in the tradition of the griot, the story moves into a rehearsal of Sundiata’s preparation as a warrior, his demonstrations of courage, and his practice of wise and fair government. Economical in its telling, dependent on magic spells and other such devices, fiery in its depiction of battles, fixed in its assurance that evil yields to good, The Guardian of the Word resembles any number of epics from world literature.
The Characters
Following the demands of the epic tradition, the griot does not develop characters as the novelist might but relies instead on broad strokes, especially those derived from action, to bring the story’s figures to life. Although it may sometimes be difficult to believe in Sundiata as a flesh-and-blood person, considering the number of advantageous interventions he enjoys from mystical sources, the great warrior emerges as a memorable hero who takes his proper place alongside the Zulu’s Chaka, Beowulf, King Arthur, Sir Gawain, the mythological Greeks and Romans, and the Old Testament heroes. The fact that he loves his mother and shows devotion to his younger siblings, and that he even falls in love, gives Sundiata human dimensions, while his fear-less fight on the side of good to destroy the forces of evil lends him ideal dimensions.
Sundiata’s father, Maghan Kon Fatta, a powerful king whose son is destined to be even greater, also faces human problems, including confrontations with his jealous first wife after he marries Sogolon. Even his stormy relationship with Sogolon, who at first refuses his romantic advances, helps to turn him into more than simply an abstract instrument of prophecy. When the much-touted son proves to be an embarrassment, the disappointed father again shows his human fallibility.
Although ugly and deformed, Sogolon not only fulfills the role that supernatural forces had ordained for her but also evolves into a warm, touching character. She becomes a devoted wife and mother whose personal traits shine so beautifully that they obliterate her outward ugliness. When she dies in exile on the eve of her son’s triumph, her death causes far more sorrow for the reader than would that of a stick figure, for she has developed into much more than a mere fulfiller of prophecy.
One of those distinctive evil heroines, Maghan Kon Fatta’s first wife, Fatumata Berete, does not calmly accept her demotion from the position of favorite wife but reacts to the situation as such a woman might, with cunning and cruelty. Her intense jealousy is understandable, for she intends to protect not only her personal interests but also those of her children. Disappointed in her son’s weakness, she again shows the way in which the mind of such a woman works when she displays her human side as well as her stereotypical villainy.
Sumaoro, depraved and ambitious to the exclusion of all else, succumbs to the wiles of a beautiful woman in a weak moment that leads to his downfall. Reveling in evil and barbarity, Sumaoro murders at will, engages in unspeakable rites, and exults in destruction. Yet, like Fatumata Berete, he shows a human side which is subject to fear and jealousy.
These major characters, as do all the others who weave their way through the narrative, emerge both as symbolic personages in the unfolding of the epic and as actual people caught in the web of timeless human events. The guardian of the word understands the demands of characterization; he knows that stereotypes will not gain his listeners’ (and in this case, his readers’) attention and sympathy. Only those with human traits can do that.
Critical Context
Laye’s first novel, L’Enfant noir (1953; The Dark Child, 1954), ranks second only to Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) in international sales of a work by an African writer. A romantic evocation of what it is like to grow up in a West African village, The Dark Child presents Laye’s strong belief in the importance of retaining traditional values. His next two works to appear, Le Regard du roi (1954; The Radiance of the King, 1956) and Dramouss (1966; A Dream of Africa, 1968), elaborate on this theme. Nevertheless, Laye’s final novel may well contain the richest expression of his philosophy.
In all of his work, Laye attempted to blend European fictional forms with Africa’s oral tradition, rather than depending solely on the realistic approach. He accomplishes this objective in The Guardian of the Word and fulfills as well his desire to preserve traditional culture in the hope that such a record might inspire contemporary Africans as they wrestle with their destiny.
Bibliography
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