The Living Libraries of West Africa episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 6, 2025 · 23 MIN

The Living Libraries of West Africa

from The Atlas Obscura Podcast · host SiriusXM Podcasts & Atlas Obscura

Journalist Eliot Stein explores the tradition of the djeli – African storytellers who memorize and pass down oral histories – tracing it all the way back to the Mali Empire. Along the way, he tracked down a modern djeli, who is upholding and remixing the tradition. And he found him in an unexpected place: working in a convenience store.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 6, 2025

Embed this episode

Journalist Eliot Stein explores the tradition of the djeli – African storytellers who memorize and pass down oral histories – tracing it all the way back to the Mali Empire. Along the way, he tracked down a modern djeli, who is upholding and remixing the tradition. And he found him in an unexpected place: working in a convenience store.

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

The Living Libraries of West Africa

0:00 23:17

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast?

This episode is 23 minutes long.

When was this The Atlas Obscura Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on November 6, 2025.

Can I download this The Atlas Obscura Podcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!