In West Africa, stories and traditions were passed down orally by generations of bards also known as djeli/jeli or griots. These individuals who are poets, praise singers, musicians, historians, were the designated historians not only of the royal family but of Mande society. Griot bard traditions of West Africa are also often accompanied by one of three instruments-the balafon (xylophone), the Kora (Lute-harp) or the ngoni (banjo) and these instruments also often accompanied the retelling of stories.  

This activity invites students to write in the djeli tradition and thus to create praise poems about the object they chose. The goal of the poem is to celebrate the meaning of the object, its memory and its value, both past and present. Students are encouraged to embed their personal connections to the object as well. 

The criteria for an excellent praise poem should be that the poems:

• Includes a title that catches the audience’s attention
• Describe the objects’ physical characteristics;
• Demonstrate historical knowledge of the object, including its use, its meaning, its importance historically to peoples of West Africa;
• Demonstrate how the location, provenance or the travel/movement of the object are significant;
• Contain elements of praise; 
• Include the students’ personal connection with the object and/or why the object was chosen.

See an example of a praise poem written by Social Science/History teacher Gregory Hazelwood, M.Ed. who uses praise poems on The Gold Road with his high school students. The Baobab Tree Praise Poem 

In djeli tradition, and if time allows, encourage students to volunteer to perform/read/recite their praise poem to their peers students in the audience.

Note: this performance task is directly inspired by Lesina Martin’s lesson shared at the Howard University Center for African Studies 2020 summer institute and posted here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EjB6Fy3vj0