ABSTRACT
Bamba is now (1973) probably in his seventies and has for decades been preeminent in his field. He is held in high esteem throughout The Gambia and is regarded by many as that country’s leading griot. His historical knowledge is particularly extensive and he speaks with the voice of authority. Bamba is also widely respected for his personal qualities as well as for his professional competence. He is not a showman, he speaks quietly and without histrionics but is listened to with profound respect. Bamba has been in a particularly favoured position for acquiring knowledge of some of the leading families of The Gambia. His paternal grandfather was associated with Alfa Molo, who is celebrated in Gambian history as the man who led the revolt in the latter part of the nineteenth century against the kingdom of Kaabu which led to its eventual overthrow. An uncle of Bamba’s was griot to Alfa’s son Musa Molo, who established himself as master of an extensive area of the south bank of the River Gambia. Bamba claims that he himself played at the funeral of Musa Molo in 1931. On his mother’s side Bamba has connections with Fode Kaba, the famous Moslem leader who polyod a prominent part in the Soninke-marabout wars which raged in The Gambia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bamba’s maternal grandfather was griot to Fode Kaba, hence Bamba had close connections with leaders on both sides in the religious wars. Throughout his life Bamba has had close links with many of the leading figures in Gambian public life and he has had unusual opportunities for acquiring knowledge of family histories. Most of the leading families of The Gambia claim descent from Sunjata himself or from one of his generals, so most family histories involve reference to the Sunjata epic, on which Bamba is also believed to speak with authority.
