The Epic Of El Hadj Umar. Vibrant African Oral Narratives from Gambia

The story of Omar Tall, a hero also known under the appellation of El Hadj Omar (or Umar), is well known. The same goes for the epic story that bears the same name. The action takes place in the Senegambia region which abounds with oral traditions. Omar left his native village of Halwaar in the northern region of Fuuta. He then travelled across the length and width of West Africa, making it all the way to Mecca ; during his trip, he visited Nigeria and Egypt. Several languages are used in these epic texts : Mandinka, Wolof, Pulaar, and Arabic. In the Sahel region, Omar converted the local populations to Islam and, if needs be, by using the sword. However, in this great epic story, the action takes place mainly in Gambia ; moreover, the Gambia episode is not well known, hence the additional interest of this book. In the final analysis, The epic of El Hadj Umar is a living tradition, still sung, chanted, recited, and in psalmody mode ; the story is crossed from start to finish by : orality, mythology, hagiography, and history. Furthermore, the epic story reflects the current cultural reality of West Africa.