Listen to me, children of the Bright Country, And hear the great deeds of ages past. The words I speak are those of my father And his father before him, Pure and full of truth. For we are griots. Centuries of law and learning reside within our minds Thus we serve kings with the wisdom of history, Bringing to life the lessons of the past So that the future may flourish. Listen, then, to the story of Sundiata, the Lion King, Who overcame all things to walk with greatness -The Epic History of Sundiata, King of Old Mali According to this article Disney's "The Lion King" comes from the story of the founding of the Mali empire Abstract: eric.ed.gov "David Wisniewski's 1992 picture book version of the African epic of "Sundiata, Lion King of Mali" and the actual historical account of the 13th century Lion King, Sundiata, are both badly served by Disney's "The Lion King." Disney has been praised for using African animals as story characters; for using the African landscape as a story setting; for using African artwork as design motifs; and for using African-American actors as the voices for the film characters. If the film succeeds in having African culture accepted by people usually resistant to recognizing any other culture but their own, then it deserves to be noted for this small breach in the racial divide. Nevertheless, in the larger sense, the film diminishes the culturally rich heritage of history and story from which it derives. Sundiata was the 12th son of a king of Mali <b>...</b>
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