The Griots are story tellers. In some African societies, Griots basically held history in the palm of their hand. Griots told the history of their people through song and dance.
There are really pros and cons to Griots. Griots would definitely make history much more interesting than reading it out of a textbook. Personally, I find history interesting when it is told through primary sources, personal accounts. I hate it when history is presented as nothing more than facts, dates, and laws. I find this boring. Griots are nice because they have that personal touch added to them, and they also take advantage of music as a medium to entertain. The con to griots is that they can be very unreliable. Griots learn their history, passed down to them through passed griots, really. It's like playing the telephone game. The originial story can get twisted and lose its meaning as it is passed down. It also can be twisted by bias. Griot stories only shows the point of view of whatever side the griot is on.
I think Textbooks really are better for learning history. They provide valid information, and are written down, so you can always verify it, in a way. Primary sources and personal accounts sometimes are included in textbooks too.
... An occassional song wouldn't be bad though...
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