Griot is a West African storyteller, poet, and oral historian who preserves and transmits communal memory through song, music, and spoken word. Traditionally a respected role in societies like the Mandé, griots perform, compose, and recount genealogies, legends, and historical events, often with hereditary prestige and musical training. The term embodies a living archive of culture, language, and identity. (2–4 sentences)
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