The son of Sogolon, the hunchback princess, and Maghan, known as 'the handsome', Sundiata grew up to fulfil the prophesies of the soothsayers that he would unite the twelve kingdoms of Mali into one of the most powerful empires ever known in Africa, which at its peak stretched right across the savanna belt from the shores of the Atlantic to the dusty walls of Timbuktu.<BR>Retold by generations of griots - the guardians of African culture - this oral tradition has been handed down from the thirteenth century and captures all the mystery and majesty of medieval African kingship. It is an epic tale - part history, part legend - which should rank alongside the Iliad and the Odyssey as one of the world's great adventure stories.<BR>This Revised Edition contains additional material to help the reader better understand the context in which this popular story is set, including: background information, material on oral tradition, pronunciation and spelling, and a who's who of characters/glossary of places.