Reddit reviews The Epic of Son-Jara: A West African Tradition (African Epic Series)

To build on that, the Epic of Askia Muhammad (the great king of Songhay, a couple centuries later) is now published in translation as well and is worth a read. If you have a chance to read one edition of Sundiata go for Son-Jara which has different tellings and annotations than Niane's now-half-century-old version. The djelis who convey the story change and highlight different elements depending on the audience, the intended lesson of the telling, and other issues that make it into a useable history. When we teach it, we also view Dani Kouyaté's Keita: L'Heritage du Griot and have the relevant sections of Ibn Battuta's visit to Suleiman ca. 1350 to talk about what the Epic says to us, what it means in the context of an eclectically Islamic society, why it's told and when--basically what the "reality" of the myth really entails. I'd second also the recommendation to explore folklore courses generally--even beyond Africa--but of course that is where my heart is as well.