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Amadou Hampâté Bâ

アマドゥ・ハンパテ・バー

Amadou Hampâté Bâ

Aliases: Ahmadu Hampaate Baa

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Bandiagara, French Sudan (now Mali)
Died
1991-05-13 （Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire） age 90
Nationality
Mali
Languages
Fula (Fulfulde), French
Religion
Islam (Tijaniyyah Sufism)
Residence History
Bandiagara (birthplace) → Kati (childhood) → Ouagadougou (colonial administration posts) → Bamako (posts and later Institute of Human Sciences) → Dakar (IFAN) → Paris (UNESCO and scholarly visits) → Abidjan (later years, passed away)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Historian, Ethnologist, Collector of oral traditions
Active Years
1920-1991
Affiliations
IFAN (Institut Français d'Afrique Noire), UNESCO Executive Council, Institute of Human Sciences, Bamako (founder/leading figure)
Memberships
UNESCO Executive Council (1962–1970)
Influenced By
Tierno Bokar (spiritual teacher), Théodore Monod (IFAN director and supporter), Marcel Griaule (scholarly colleague)
Influenced
Researchers and writers of West African oral traditions, Subsequent generations involved in safeguarding African cultural heritage

Education

Qur'anic school and French colonial schools (Bandiagara, Djenné, etc.)
Period: 1910s–1920s (断続的)
Country: French Sudan (now Mali)
Received traditional Qur'anic education and French colonial schooling; no specific higher-degree record identified.

Awards

Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire
1974
Work: The Strange Destiny of Wangrin (L'étrange destin du Wangrin)
Organization: Organizing body unspecified (prize within Francophone literary circles)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

L'Empire peul du Macina (The Fula Empire of Macina)

1955 History / Ethnography

An ethnographic and historical study of the Macina (Fula) Empire, based on oral sources and field research.

Oral traditionReligion and SufismKingship and social structure
Translations

Vie et enseignement de Tierno Bokar (The Life and Education of Tierno Bokar, the Wise Man of Bandiagara)

1957 Biography / Oral history

A record of the life and teachings of his spiritual master Tierno Bokar. Later translated and published in English as 'A Spirit of Tolerance.'

ToleranceSufismOral tradition
Translations
  • English translation 'A Spirit of Tolerance: The Inspiring Life of Tierno Bokar' (2008)

L'étrange destin du Wangrin (The Strange Destiny of Wangrin)

1973 Novel / Narrative

A novel that satirically portrays colonial society through the life of the cunning and charismatic Wangrin.

Colonial ruleDynamics of powerSatire
Translations
  • English translation 'The Fortunes of Wangrin' (1987)

Amkoullel, l'enfant peul (Amkoullel, the Fula Child)

1991 Memoir

An autobiographical memoir recalling his childhood and experiences in Fula society. Published posthumously.

ReminiscenceTradition and modernizationPersonal and social history

Bibliography

  • L'Empire peul du Macina (1955)
  • Vie et enseignement de Tierno Bokar (1957, rewritten 1980)
  • Kaïdara (1969)
  • L'étrange destin du Wangrin (1973)
  • L'Éclat de la grande étoile (1974)
  • Jesus, as Viewed by a Muslim (1976)
  • Petit Bodiel and prose version of Kaïdara (1977)
  • Njeddo Dewal, Mother of Calamity (1985)
  • A Handful of Dust, Malian Stories (1987)
  • Kaïdara (1988)
  • Amkoullel, the Fula Child (1991)
  • Oui mon commandant! (1994, posthumous)

Adaptations

  • Works such as Wangrin have been translated and used in scholarly studies; major film adaptations are limited or not widely documented.

Translations of Works

  • L'étrange destin du Wangrin → 'The Fortunes of Wangrin' (English)
  • Vie et enseignement de Tierno Bokar → 'A Spirit of Tolerance' (English)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Narration valuing oral-form techniquesEthnographic detail in descriptionsAllegorical and prose storytelling
Recurring Motifs
Importance of oral traditionReligious tolerance and SufismSocial tensions during the colonial period

Legacy

A major figure in preserving and promoting African oral traditions. Through ethnographic research and literary works he brought West African cultural heritage to international attention and advocated for cultural preservation at UNESCO and other bodies.

Academic Societies

  • Scholarly communities associated with IFAN
  • UNESCO cultural heritage networks

Archives

  • Oral tradition archives held at IFAN
  • Collections at the Institute of Human Sciences, Bamako

In Popular Culture

  • The saying 'whenever an old man dies, it is as though a library were burning down' is widely quoted to express the value of oral cultures.

Quotes

  • “Whenever an old man dies, it is as though a library were burning down.”
    Source: Quoted from his writings and speeches; widely cited aphorism

Trivia

  • Devoted his life to safeguarding oral traditions and collected extensive oral materials.
  • Served on UNESCO's Executive Council and helped develop transcription systems for African languages.
  • Some memoirs were published posthumously.