Oral narratives have been used by authors to provide accounts of historical stories in historical contexts. The assigned reading demonstrates one such account on Mansa Musa, the ancient king of Mali, provided by Al-Maqrizi. The narrative revolves around the king’s pilgrimage to Mecca and is also intended to demonstrate his influence during that time. Indeed, the narrative offers a clear exploration of medieval African history which could not be recorded in any other way due to lack of knowledge.
The reading basically presents an oral narrative on how Mansa Musa arrived in Egypt in 724/1324 with expensive gifts and numerous slave girls, how he was warmly received by Sultan of Egypt, and how he visited Mecca as a sign of obedience to God. The narrative demonstrates the vast resources that were at the disposal of Mansa Musa and the respect he was accorded by the Sultan due to his status. Additionally, the narrative underscores how Mansa Musa made the pilgrimage to Mecca as well as the aesthetic underpinnings of the journey.
Such narratives can be used by students of history to understand Black history. Although the Mansa Musa pilgrimage to Mecca may have been reported in some ancient Arab sources, such oral stories as narrated by Al-Maqrizi provide an aesthetic appeal to historical accounts and endure the test of time due to their entertaining nature. Indeed, from the historical account, readers are able to understand the religious inclinations of Mansa Musa, his love for majestic treatment, as well as his irrational spending habits. Without such narratives presented as accounts of historical deeds, it would have been difficult for students to develop an understanding of medieval historical experiences.
However, it is evident that the narrative has been presented aesthetically and some analysts may even question its scientific underpinnings in historical research. Indeed, if the historical account presented by Al-Maqrizi was to be critiqued, there is every possibility to suggest that it does not pass the tenets of historical research as it appears to be nourishing an illusion rather than contributing to knowledge of the subject. Nonetheless, in spite of these shortcomings and deficits in knowledge, it is better the understand the historical deeds of Mansa Musa using such contemporary oral tradition texts than to base our understanding on “wishful reading” of some fourteenth century texts that employ analogy as categorical evidence.
Overall, it has been demonstrated in this paper how the narrative provides a clear exploration of medieval African history which could not have been recorded in any other way due to lack of knowledge. Through such narratives, rich accounts of historical deeds have been preserved for present and future generations. Additionally, narratives avail an aesthetic appeal to historical accounts as has been demonstrated by the Mansa Musa account, not mentioning that they have a way of passing the test of time due to their entertaining nature. However, historians need to incorporate some scientific tenets into these accounts to make them more valid and externally reliable.