In Africa when an old man dies it is a library burning. This world renowned adage is from Amadou Hampate Ba. This Malian scholar, modern and traditional at the same time, has not only preserved the African cultural heritage but he has also transformed and modernized it. Moreover he made it easier to understand for the current generations. His work encompassed many fields of the African culture from history to linguistics, including religion, oral tradition, and francophone literature. As a devout muslim following the Sufism trend he was also taught the Fulani and Bambara beliefs. Speaking French and Arabic fluently and 10 other languages Hampate Ba typifies the current and the traditional African culture. In this course we will study the life and the work of this exceptional man by exploring the different stages of his life: he was the assistant of the French humanist scholar Theodore Monod, he was appointed to the French institute of black Africa, obtained a Unesco grant and was at one point the ambassador of his country. And by studying the essential of his work: his essays on the Fulani and Bambara myths and through some of his most popular books like The Life and Education of Tierno Bokar, the Sage of Bandiagara, dedicated to the life of a famous wise muslim from Mali , The Strange Destiny of Wangrin ( a picaresque novel) and the fula child (autobiographical recital).

Required books: 1) H. Ba - Amkoullel, l'enfant peul; Editions 84 (2000); 2) H. Ba - Vie et enseignement de Tierno Bokar , Editions Seuil, Paris (2004); 3) H. Ba - L'étrange destin de Wangrin, Editions Nathan (2000) Paris.