GRIOT
“A Griot in its origin is a West-African tribal Storyteller”
A Griot in its origin is a West-African tribal Storyteller, that preserved community legacy and recognition through oral tradition. They kept track of genealogies, birth, deaths, historical narratives and important events that occured to pass down from generation to generation.
Griots are praise singers, poets and musicians. Oral tradition is significant to the Black community because it is how we stayed connected to the generations that came before us.
There are many “old sayings” that are teachings we’ve heard and used throughout our households that have great value.
We believe as a community it is our responsibility to carry our own stories forward – and that every single one of us has our own stories to tell.
This project was created because we know that Black people/communities have contributed greatly to this country and a lot of the time it has been missing from written records, and oral tradition lacks access.
Creating this archive is stamping our lived experiences, accomplishments and practices in Canadian history so the people that come after us will have something to look back on.
