what is Malian literature?

Mali was a great center of Subsaharan African literature since the Middle Ages. The rulers of the Songhai Empire, founded by Askia the Great (1443-1538), were patrons of learning and writing. As Leo Africanus testified in 1510, "In Timbuktu there are numerous judges, doctors and clerics, all receiving good salaries from the king. He pays great respect to men of learning". This patronage fostered the creation of the legendary libraries of Timbuktu. Nonetheless, an important part of Malian literature remained oral. It was transmitted by the specialized jalis (the griot), singing and reciting stories in prise of prominent figures. In the 20th century, this legacy was transcribed and edited in French, often by people who were direct descendants of griot bloodlines. This is how major oral texts, such as The Epic of Sundiata, transcribed by Massa Makan Diabaté, found their place in global literary archive. 

I have read

Charlie English, The Storied City (2017)

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I have written

... nothing ...