Revitalizing the Oral Tradition: Stories Broadcast by Radio Parana (San, Mali)

Private radio stations have multiplied in Mali during recent years. Radio Parana is a rural station that broadcasts in a minority language spoken in the areas of San and Tominian, in the southeast of the country. In their desire to validate the cultural patrimony of this region, the station owners have from the very beginning included in their line-up a program on stories. That broadcast is undeniably successful among its listeners, as are the cassettes (31 as of now) that they have produced. This article focuses on the impact of a media practice such as this upon oral literature and also upon the storytellers who have been invited by the radio