The Sacred Spiritual Power Of Storytelling
Storytelling has always been a sacred act of resistance. On SuperBowl Sunday, Kendrick Lamar became a modern-day griot in front of an audience of millions. But he wasn’t the only griot on that stage.
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In an interview, Kendrick Lamar shared storytelling would be central to his Super Bowl Halftime Show. Before the colonization of West Africa, the griot's role was to preserve history, folklore, and spiritual practices through storytelling.
Within his performance, Kendrick became a modern-day griot. But he wasn’t the only griot on that stage.
Heart pounding, Zül-Qarnain Nantambu looked at the other hired dancers. They’d rehearsed with Lamar for weeks, who’d spoken to them about revolution.
As Lamar rapped, “TV off,” the dancer made up his mind: The revolution WOULD be televised.
Reaching into his shirt, Nantambu unfurled a flag with the words “Gaza” and “Sudan” painted on it. For 30 seconds, he waved the flag before being detained by security.
But 30 seconds was all he needed to spread his message to the world.
A Muslim himself, Nantambu stated, “The civil war in Sudan, the oppression and the war and the tyranny that’s going on in Gaza, is inhumane. And these people are connected with us all as humans, and especially with me in faith.”
The griot’s sacred responsibility has always been to share the history of protest.
Stories of our protest efforts are the voice of revolution, reminding us that through faith, we will always find the courage to do what is right.
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