Nick Fugaro Dr.

Arnold INTL 3111 2/22/14 Tradition vs Modernizing The movie Keita: Heritage of the Griot is told much like a once upon a time story about Mabos ancestors. Djeliba tells the story about how his ancestor was a great king who went through many hardships over his reign. Mabo is really taken in by this since he has been so modernized in his home town. He is almost split down the middle between learning about his ancestry and modern life. He is incredibly fascinated by Djelibas tales. Tradition and the modern world really clash between Mabos mother and father. His father is for learning about tradition since griots have been with his family for centuries, however, his mother argues against it since Mabos grades are suffering. His father has really left all his traditions behind him. When Djeliba asks where his prayer rug is, he tries to cover up that he actually does not have one. I thought it was funny how Boicar tried to get his wife to back him up on losing his prayer rug. She just laughs and says If it exists, you will find it. She doesnt defend him since she doesnt want Djeliba overwhelming Mabo before his big tests in school that are coming up. The prayer rug scene really shows the dispute between what Mabo should learn about. Another scene reflecting a conflict is when Sitan makes spaghetti and Djeliba has no idea how to eat it. Sitan never cooks and has a servant for around the house, which is a very modern thing for their country that Djeliba doesnt like. During this scene they are speaking in Djelibas native language and then when Mabos parents are fighting about Djeliba staying, they switch to French which symbolizes the struggle between two worlds that Mabo is trying to fit into. Even in the school it shows how the country is really changing. In the classroom, Mabo learns about Christopher Columbus and America, which is completely opposite of Djelibas teachings. I found it interesting that Djeliba wants Mabo to go to school and tells him not to be late one of the days.

The two worlds colliding is the biggest driving conflict of the story. It doesnt truly get resolved until the end of the story. The struggle between the two really reflects how our own cultures are changing each day. We are all losing some tradition over living in this very technologically advanced world. Keita teaches us the important message of not forgetting where you are from.